This weekend belongs to St Johnstone, who have been Tayside’s top team for a decade.
Saints have been fixtures in the top league for the last 12 seasons.
A League Cup final win would be a fitting reward for a club that has been run in a truly professional manner since Geoff Brown saved their bacon when he took over in the 1985/86 season.
Back then, the club was at death’s door, with attendances regularly hovering around the one thousand mark.
There have been spells outside the top flight but the club has, unlike some others, always maintained a financially sound footing, never over-reaching themselves to the danger of their very existence.
Some may call it parsimony but, for me, it’s been the triumph of deliberate substance over dangerous style.
Saints’ canny approach under the Brown dynasty has seen them ensconced, mortgage-free, in their own stadium, with cash in the bank, great nights in Europe and a Scottish Cup tucked in the trophy cabinet.
Under Tommy Wright they embedded themselves firmly as a top flight club and under Callum Davidson, along with a very productive youth set up, the future looks assured and, indeed, even brighter, with a nicely-balanced team capable of sweet football on their day.
A win at Hampden – which I’m tipping them for – and their second ever major trophy would be a fitting tribute for a club which is the very model for balancing ambition with realism.
Saints beat Livingston a couple of weeks ago.
They have the tools to repeat that result.
I fully expect Saints to bring the trophy back to Perth.
Dundee and Dundee United need to steel themselves to take maximum profit from the remainder of the season.
United need to keep their eye firmly on the ball for a possible top six finish that’s very much dependent on the results of others as well as their own.
Dundee need to start getting wins on the board.
Their last two losses, to QOS and Raith Rovers, are nowhere near good enough for a squad of their quality.
A finish in the bottom half of the Premiership table for Micky Mellon’s side would be disappointing but acceptable in a first season back in the top league, as long as they don’t get sucked into a relegation battle.
Dundee, on paper, have the ability to grab second spot in the Championship to make the play-offs for the Premiership that bit easier.
Players on both sides of the street are at the sixth and seventh biggest clubs in Scotland – and that fact should always be reflected in their performances and results.
In Scottish terms, the Dundee clubs are good places to ply your trade.
They enjoy good general conditions, training facilities, and decent crowds (when crowds are allowed in) by comparison to many others.
Along with those benefits come high expectations.
United have, to some extent, met those, but Dundee have fallen short so far this season.
There’s a desperate desire for both sides to be in the top league, bringing back the thrill and excitement of the city derbies.
It’s incumbent on both to deliver.
PODCAST: St Johnstone have peaked at the right time for Betfred Cup glory
