JIM SPENCE: Championship looks like two-horse race as Dundee United and Raith Rovers’ rivals fail to ignite

Dundee United and Raith Rovers will fight it out for the Championship title.

By the time United have played at Partick Thistle and Rovers at Arbroath next weekend, the first quarter of the campaign will be over and every team will know what their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses are.

United and Raith have both built strong squads – and are already opening up a points gap that only Maryhill’s finest are close to.

United score more, concede less and are unbeaten in comparison to the Stark’s Park side, who’ve lost only once, but Ian Murray has assembled a squad with pace and character and they look like genuine contenders.

The 1-1 draw between the sides last weekend testified to the battling abilities of both and showed how closely matched they are.

There’s a long way to go yet, but teams I thought would also make the early running like Ayr, Dunfermline and heavily resourced Queen’s Park, have so far failed to ignite.

The division’s two best squads are at Tannadice and Stark’s Park and, if they continue present form, both may shortly make the contest for the Championship a two-horse race.

I fancied Dundee to take the points last week v Ross County

But with Dens Park waterlogged, we’ll need to wait for the rearranged fixture (on Tuesday, October 24) to see whether Tony Docherty’s side have the whip hand over Malky McKay’s team.

The Dens men now have a game in hand, which makes their position in 10th place look less stark than it actually is and, with Aberdeen two points better off but a game more played, there’s huge incentive for a win at Pittodrie once the international break has passed.

There’s plenty to be happy with in Dundee’s first season back in the Premiership, but converting draws – four to date – into wins has to be the priority.

Start to do that and any early concerns about being sucked into the drop zone will soon disappear to be replaced by a more ambitious target further up the table, which I think they’ve shown in recent performances they’re capable of.

St Johnstone, propping up the Premiership, will welcome the international break as a chance to work on strengthening squad shape, fitness and morale.

Boss Steven MacLean thinks they’re not far away from producing the form that will lift them off the bottom, but a win soon is badly needed to boost the confidence of players and fans alike.

It’s been a baptism of fire for his first managerial gig and a victory at McDiarmid Park v Motherwell on resumption of the domestic campaign would be a huge lift.

There was enough in their draw at Pittodrie to show that Saints are capable of competing with sides who look likely to be fellow strugglers as the season wears on, but they must avoid becoming stranded and allowing heads to drop.

To date, there’s been no sign of that and their spirits seem relatively buoyant, but some supporters seem to sense that the fates are conspiring against them.

They’re not isolated yet but, if their winless streak continues, they face a real danger of being stranded.