Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson is now convinced the play-off pendulum has swung towards the Championship side.
Conventional wisdom dictates that when it comes down to the end-of-season shootout to see who will be strutting their stuff in the top flight next season that the odds are stacked in favour of the Premiership club.
However, Livingston proved that theory wrong a year ago when they beat Partick Thistle 3-1 over two legs.
Neilson believes his team can do a Livi, albeit they will have to beat either Inverness Caley Thistle or Ayr United in the semi-final in order to reach the decider.
St Mirren currently occupy the play-off position in the top division, with Hamilton Accies two points better off than the Buddies.
There are a few ifs and buts before the fixture schedule can be drawn up.
However, Neilson, who takes his team to Greenock to play Morton in the regular season finale on Saturday, is looking ahead with confidence after finishing runners-up – one place better off in the table than in the previous two campaigns.
The United gaffer said: “I used to think that (the play-offs favoured the Premiership side) but having looked at it I now think it favours the team that finishes second if they go on to win the semi-final.
“The team from the top flight will have a lot of pressure on their last game of the regular season (a week on Saturday).
“We will get a wee bit of time at the end of the season to prepare and it’s not straight into the play-offs for us.
“Our boys will get a couple of days off and then we will have a full week’s build-up to the first game (against ICT or Ayr).
“We are in a better position than the last two seasons, of course, because we will finish second.
“Being runners-up definitely gives you the best chance of going up through the play-offs.
“That will make a massive difference, I feel.
“You have to make that second place count, though.
“We will come up against either Ayr or Inverness and both teams are decent. They have both beaten us and we have beaten them this season.
“In the first game you have to try to take advantage of the other team’s fatigue.”
The Tannadice gaffer revealed that he won’t be giving his players history lessons as they try to take the step-up.
After finishing third in successive seasons, United lost in the play-off final to Hamilton in 2017 and then to Livi in the semi-final last year.
However, Neilson won’t be bringing all that up in team talks.
“That is not something we have touched upon,” he said.
“The past is the past.
“The players who have been brought are people who have been played in big games.
“We know that the semi-final of the play-offs will be tough and the final – if we get there – will be even tougher.
“However, the guys we have brought to United have played in Scottish Cup finals, League Cup finals and the play-offs down in England.
“We have experienced players who won’t be fazed at all.
“So the build-up for us will be normal and all the white noise in the background will be taken care of.”
Neilson also does not feel tiredness will be a factor for his men, many of whom have not played a full season.
That is why he will restrict his a changes in what is a bit of a dead-rubber at Cappielow this weekend.
Neilson added: “Mark Connolly has come back into training, while Peter Pawlett is also due back.
“It is just a case of keeping the momentum going on Saturday.
“I will make one or two changes but they won’t be wholesale.
“We have been on a really good run recently and we have to keep the feelgood factor.
“You have to be a wee bit wary that you take your foot off the gas too much.
“You need to train and you need to play because that is how you keep your fitness and sharpness.
“So we will use the game for some who have been around about the first team and others who will keep playing as before.
“We have to make sure we keep that continuity in the team.
“The lads all want to play. If I have to say to one or two of them they are being left out then they will be disappointed.
“Players want to keep their good form going.”
