Mountain to if they fail to

DUNDEE United’s failure, to date at least, to make the most of their chances to claim second spot in the Championship could leave them with a mountain to climb.

And in the short history of the play-offs, it’s one no one else has conquered.

Since the end-of-season shoot-outs were introduced, no second tier outfit has successfully negotiated three ties to clinch promotion.

In 2014, Hamilton, the only side to win promotion to the Premiership via the play-offs, did so by beating Falkirk at the semi-final stage before a remarkable second-leg comeback at Hibs saw them win on penalties.

A year later, Rangers got past Queen of the South and then Hibs but ran out of steam when faced with Premiership Motherwell, going down by a thumping 6-1 on aggregate.

And while 2016 saw Hibs beat Raith Rovers in the third-v-fourth tie, next time out they went down to Falkirk, who, in turn, were demolished by top-flight Kilmarnock in the final.

So, unless they can leapfrog Falkirk into second in this weekend’s final round of scheduled league fixtures, the task that lies ahead will be daunting.

It makes the failure to capitalise on the Bairns’ blunders three times in the last five games all the more galling.

Early last month they led old boss Peter Houston’s men until the closing minutes before paying the price for squandering a string of scoring opportunities by conceding a demoralising equaliser.

Two games later, they went into the tea-time kick-off at Ayr United with the knowledge Falkirk’s draw with St Mirren earlier in the day meant victory would move them up to second.

Despite another plethora of chances, the Somerset Park trip finished goalless.

Then, on Saturday, another draw for their rivals put them in the same earlyevening situation, this ti me at Tannadice against Dumbarton.

The Sons, though, lived up to this season’s billing as the Tangerines’ bogey team and, in the end, it took a 79th-minute equaliser from in-form Thomas Mikkelsen to give Ray McKinnon’s men even a point.

That means Saturday at Morton is their last-chance saloon, so long as runners-up spot goes. However, even if a first league win on the road since midDecember is forthcoming, Dumbarton will have to do them a rare favour by taking something off the Bairns.

Mark Durnan grabbed a late leveller against Morton in February. Willo Flood and Charlie Telfer combine to cut out a threat from Gary Oliver when