Utd hitting Tangerines run riot in impressive win over relegated Brechin City

PLAYERRATINGS

RESURGENT Dundee United look to be hitting form at just the right time as their third win on the trot took them to the verge of the play-offs last night.

And this was as impressive as the Tangerines have been since before the turn of the year as they rattled five past Brechin at Glebe Park.

As he looks to get his team over the line and i nto those post-season matches, manager Csaba Laszlo has repeatedly said one-nil victories will do him.

But he had to be more than happy as United battled through a tough opening 45 minutes before moving through the gears quickly after the break to race away with the three points.

It means they head for Dumfries on Saturday to face Queen of the South knowing a fourth consecutive success for the first time this season will leave them preparing for a promotion push next season.

Unless, that is, Inverness drop points at Dumbarton tonight. If that’s the case, a top-four finish will be confirmed without them having to kick another ball.

Almost as important, after months in the doldrums, or at times worse, this now looks like a team that has a chance of being in the Premiership next season.

It’s been a long time coming after the post-Christmas slump but United are again showing the qualities that made them strong favourites for automatic promotion before a ball was kicked in this campaign.

There is, of course, still work to be done and plenty of it. As good a win as this was, at Glebe Park that was still evident.

The final score may make it seem like this was a stroll in the park against a side that’s not won a league game all season and has known for months they’d be relegated but United had to battle to get on top.

Having started the opening period reasonably brightly, a failure to take early chances gave the home team hope and, the longer the first half progressed, the stronger Darren Dods’ part-timers grew.

By the interval, United keeper Deniz had been as busy as his opposite number Graeme Smith.

When a Dylan Mackin shot came off the inside of the post in the opening moments of the second half, United were lucky to still be level.

They used that let-off as a wake-up call, however, and before the hour mark the points were secured.

Looking to get his team further up the park for longer spells, the manager had introduced veteran attacker Scott McDonald at the break. It was an inspired decision and the Aussie quickly had his side ahead. Not long later he set up Billy King for the second and victory was pretty much in the bag.

From the moment King’s rifled drive hit the back of the net, it was simply a question of by how many and not if.

Come the final whistle it was no great surprise McDonald had struck again and both Scott Fraser and the once-again impressive Bilel Mohsni had also got in on the act to secure what was the biggest winning margin of the season so far.

All that made it a very good night for United and they can now, surely, set about getting themselves ready for that play-off campaign.