There seems every chance Dundee United”s centenary season will be marked by their lifting the Scottish Cup for the second time.
What is beyond doubt now, however, is that they are headed back into Europe and, barring a miracle, going to finish “best of the rest” in the SPL for the first time since 1997.
This victory over Motherwell means that with four games to go the Tangerines have a surely unassailable 12-point lead over Hibs in third place.
While catching Celtic after the Hoops” late win over the capital club on Saturday now looks beyond them, United will go into the final next month with first division Ross County on the back of their most successful league campaign in 13 years.
After running out of steam in each of the last two seasons, the Tangerines are getting stronger and stronger as this one reaches its climax, and beating the Steelmen means they are unbeaten in their last eight league games winning six of those.
Boss Peter Houston paid tribute not only to his players but also Craig Levein, who he assisted before taking over in a caretaker capacity some four months ago, and the late United chairman Eddie Thompson.
“Three-and-a-half years ago, when Craig asked me to assist him, Dundee United were rock bottom of the league,” he recalled. “But wee Eddie Thompson, God rest his soul, wanted to have a go at it and he gave Craig a free hand to change things.
“This is the result of that, and the culmination of a great deal of hard work. Great credit to the players we”ve brought the right ones in and improved as a team every year.Delighted”I”ve continued things from where Craig left off. I don”t want the credit for what he did. I”m just delighted to have taken things on.”
Jon Daly scored twice to set up this win, with his brace ensuring United led 2-1 at the interval. The first of those goals will go down in history as the 7000th to be scored in the SPL.
He admitted it was gifted him by Motherwell keeper Michael Fraser.
“Great finish wasn”t it?” he joked. “You take a chance that something might go wrong, especially on that pitch, and most times it doesn”t pay offbut he”s just kicked it off me.”
At the risk of detracting from the Irishman”s effort, it should be acknowledged the truly shocking Fir Park surface played a part in both his counters.
The keeper was clearly unnerved by his early problems and a minute from the break he cracked again.
With David Goodwillie closing him down this time, Fraser knocked the ball sideways in the direction of Mark Reynolds, but the pass was heavy and Reynolds at full stretch could only direct it over the line.
Daly came steaming in to meet the resulting Craig Conway corner and power home a spectacular volley to take his tally for the season to 13.
Well were actually the better team during that opening period. They”d given United a fright at 0-0 when Reynolds was sharper than Craig Conway inside the box and drilled an angled shot across Dusan Pernis and wide of the far post.WastedReynolds wasted an even better opportunity when, having been played in by Tom Hateley, he beat Pernis only for his effort to narrowly clear the same upright, before John Sutton made it 1-1 on 28 minutes. Referee Calum Murray correctly penalised Darren Dods for clattering Steven Saunders near the corner flag and Sutton rose higher than anyone else beyond the back post to meet the resulting Hateley free-kick and power home a header.
However, what chance Craif Brown’s men had to turn the game around disappeared completely three minutes after the break when Conway cut inside from the left and rifled the ball under the hapless Fraser and into the far corner.
Well put enormous effort into retrieving the situation, and as they pressed for a goal it took the combined efforts of Daly and Andy Webster to prevent Hateley from reducing the deficit, while Pernis may have been fortunate to avoid conceding a penalty when he had a coming together with Sutton.
With 10 minutes remaining, the home side”s pressure finally paid off as they made it 3-2 when Sutton headed home from a Hateley cross.
“I thought we defended well considering the conditions,” reflected Houston. “Darren Dods and Andy Webster were fantastic.”
The match produced two bookings Steve Jennings being yellow carded for a stamping challenge on Prince Buaben and Morgaro Gomis for a trip on Jim O”Brien.
Attendance3544.