In-form frontman Robbie Muirhead admits qualifying for Europe would be a childhood dream come true for him.
The 19-year-old Dundee United striker has been a revelation since finally breaking into the Tangerines’ first team.
He smashed home the winner against Aberdeen last weekend then followed that up with a sensational lob from 45 yards to give United an early lead at Inverness.
Now he is hoping to make it three-in-a-row when he faces St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park this afternoon.
The prize for the winners will a three-point advantage over their rivals for fourth place in the Premiership and should Inverness Caley Thistle win the Scottish Cup then that number four slot will be good enough to secure continental competition.
Playing European football would not only vindicate Muirhead’s decision to leave Kilmarnock but also realise a dream he has had since he was a boy.
He knows Saints never make it easy for United but is hopeful they can bring the points home from Perth.
“It would be great if we can get into Europe,” said Muirhead, who finalised his switch from Rugby Park to Tannadice in the closing minutes of the January transfer window.
“Playing against teams from other countries is the pinnacle of club football and it’s something you dream about when you are young.
“All we can do is try to win against St Johnstone and see what happens.
“It will be tough through there and I would expect the typical game you get against them.
“They are a very strong side and have loads of experience.
“They get in your faces and press you high, so you have to be able to cope with that.
“Playing them is always difficult and you need to be clever when you come up against them because they have so much experience.
“Their back four and midfield have a lot of games together and that shows in the way they play.
“They have more experience in their team than we do in ours but hopefully we can get a good result.”
Being patient has paid off for Muirhead and he is enjoying playing alongside the more experienced Nadir Ciftci.
“I’m delighted with my two goals recently because I’ve been here since January and it has taken a while to get off the mark,” he said.
“Being cup-tied from my time at Kilmarnock didn’t help because that meant there were a lot of games I couldn’t play in.
“I had to be patient to get my chance.
“But I have managed to get myself into the team now and I’m happy with the way things have been going.
“I realised I would have to bide my time coming here but I always felt it would be a good move for me.
“When I heard United were interested I knew it would be a good move.
“There is a good success rate with players coming here and progressing their career so when the manager said he wanted me I knew it was a good option.
“I have played with Nadir in the last two games and we are starting to get a partnership going.
“We’re on the same wavelength on the pitch and I think you can see signs of it coming together.
“I’m starting to learn about the things he does and I think he’s getting to know what my strengths are as well.
“Also, the fans have been great with me since I joined and after scoring those goals recently I’ve had a lot of really nice messages from them.
“That’s always good and helps you settle.”
Muirhead has displayed a level of composure in his finishing that belies his age and he appears able to take it all in his stride.
He said: “My two finishes were good but I didn’t really think about either of them.
“The chances came along and I managed to score them.
“I’m a striker and I’m paid to score goals so I’m delighted it has been working out.”