Finishing Once again Utd miss too many chances but they look play-off ready

PLAYERRATINGS

IT’S win or bust time for Dundee United. After a 36-game league campaign that’s put Arabs through almost every emotion possible, their team’s season will be defined by the outcome of a maximum of six games played out over the next three weeks.

Saturday’s draw at Morton confirmed an involvement in the play-offs that, in all truth, has looked inevitable since the Tangerines lost a one-sided game at Hibs in early January, and will kick off back in Greenock tomorrow night.

It will definitely continue at Tannadice on Friday, then, if United are victorious over those two legs, continue against Falkirk next week.

Success against the Bairns would set up a Premiership play-off final, also over two legs, against the team finishing second bottom of the top flight. Right now that looks likely to be either Motherwell or Hamilton, though a city derby against Dundee remains a possibility.

The bad news for United is no team has successfully come through three end-of-season play-offs. The better news is if Ray McKinnon’s men can reproduce displays like the one turned in during the 1-1 stalemate at Cappielow, there’s reason to believe they still have a fighting chance of promotion.

That’s if the Tangerines can add a finishing touch. As has been the case so often in the last month or so, that was all that was lacking against the Ton.

United dominated possession, particularly in the first half and, throughout the 90 minutes, created chance, after chance, after chance.

Had they been three clear at the break, it would have been by no means a flattering score. And if the balance of play was more even in the second half, the majority of chances continued to be created by the team in tangerine.

Frustrated as he was and, again, not winning a game they should have, gaffer McKinnon was rightly encouraged by the number of scoring opportunities his team had.

Also pleasing was the energy with which his players approached the 90 minutes. Much has been made of fatigue playing a part during a gruelling play-off schedule but United looked fit and fresh.

McKinnon can also be encouraged by the way his team controlled the proceedings at a venue teams in the second tier regard as one of the toughest.

Of course, it will be a strong Morton line-up they face tomorrow night.

Knowing his side would be finishing fourth, over the past two weeks, manager Jim Duffy, vastly experienced campaigner that he is, has rested most of his best performers at least once.

So, it will be a fresher, better quality home team United are up against tomorrow. Even so, at the weekend you could not help but detect there was a feeling in the Morton camp that by finishing fourth in only their second season back in the Championship, they’d already achieved enough to consider this a successful season.

That does, of course, mean they could be feeling less pressure in the play-offs and, being the winner he is, Duffy would love to lead his unfancied squad to the Premiership.

Despite that, United have to be going into this first tie as strong favourites. If they can add that finishing touch they will progress and maybe keep going all the way to the Premiership.