Charlie Telfer thinks Dundee United have shown they have what it takes to win awkward games like tonight’s clash with St Mirren.
The Tangerines have been on song at home and on some trips this season but there have been times when they have been off-tune in away games.
Cross-country treks to the likes of Kilmarnock and Motherwell have ended in disappointing defeats and a journey to Paisley isn’t too appealing on a Wednesday night in January.
However, United dug deep for victory in their last match – the 3-2 win over Hamilton Accies on a freezing cold Monday in Lanarkshire nine days ago – after throwing away a 2-0 lead.
Telfer believes that was a sign that they have the bottle to get through tricky fixtures like this one.
“I think the Hamilton game showed we have a bit about us,” said the midfielder, who was United’s man-of-the-match at New Douglas Park.
“People have said we are inconsistent and we can’t grind out results.
“But I think we showed that night what we are capable of because we had to really dig in after losing our two-goal advantage.
“Hamilton are a really good team and they play good football so even though we were not at our best in the second half we ground it out.
“We could have lost that game but we dug deep and won it.
“So that shows we’ve got the ability to do that.
“We want to play good football and win games that way but things don’t always work out like that.
“In football you have to show grit and determination to beat teams like Hamilton.
“And St Mirren will be exactly the same because they are down there fighting for their lives.
“They got a great result against Ross County last weekend (a 2-1 win in Dingwall with 10 men) and look like they are improving.
“It is going to be a very tough one and we will need to show the same sort of fighting spirit we showed against Accies.”
Telfer was the star of the show that night against Accies, helping the visitors boss the game before they let the hosts back into it..
He said: “I was happy with my performance at Hamilton, especially in the first half when I got on the ball a lot.
“In the second half it wasn’t as good but overall I enjoyed it and felt I did OK.
“It was probably the best I’ve played for United so far but I still think there are a lot of things I can improve on.
“I just want to start matches and hopefully improve my performances as we go along.”
Telfer, of course, had to kick his heels on Saturday as United’s Premiership match against Inverness Caley Thistle was postponed because parts of the Tannadice pitch were frozen.
“The boys were gutted that the game was off last weekend because we wanted to continue what we started at Hamilton,” said the former Rangers man.
“Luckily there’s the game against St Mirren coming right up so we’ve been able to focus on that.”
Telfer may be just a youngster himself but he has been impressed by some of the up-and-coming talents in the St Mirren side.
He added: “I have played against a few of their young boys before, guys like Lewis Morgan.
“I don’t think I’ve played against Stephen Mallan before but he’s come into their team and done really well.
“He’s been scoring goals for them and has really stepped things up since he got his chance.
“They have some great young players and guys like John McGinn and Kenny McLean have been in the first team for a while.
“So they are a dangerous team and it will be a tough test for us.”