On the face of it, Dundee United are having a decent season. They sit in second place in the Championship table, and reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.
Robbie Neilson is doing a far better job than his predecessor Csaba Laszlo, and they look certain to qualify for the promotion/relegation play-offs.
However, unless they overcome a mental hurdle, their hopes of promotion will be dashed for another season. When it comes to the crunch, United have failed when it matters this season.
Case in point, the Scottish Cup tie against Inverness. United were at home, against a team they are 10 points ahead of in the league table. That should have been the platform to go on and reach the semi-final. That wasn’t the case though, as Inverness deservedly won 2-1.
United have also failed when it counts against promotion rivals Ross County and Ayr United. They have taken only three points out of a possible 15 against those sides so far this season.
Now United face another test on Saturday when they take on relegation haunted Partick Thistle.
This will be a huge test for Neilson’s side, as they will be facing a team who need the points as much as they do. With a potential title decider against Ross County on the horizon on the 19th of March, the match against Thistle will be a good test of United’s credentials. If they want to win the league, they really need to beat the Jags.