WHISPER it, but after a very worrying start to the season – and off the back of a, in many ways, dreadful campaign last time around – Dundee United may just be back on the right track.

After an impressive victory away at Queen of the South, even if they were hanging towards the end, Csaba Laszlo’s men followed it up with a 3-1 win over Partick Thistle at Tannadice.

United switched to a back three for the trip to Palmerston, with Adam Barton dropping from his midfield role to in between the two centre-backs, and they retained that set-up for the opening stages versus Thistle.

However, some time shortly after their opening goal they switched to a back four for the remainder of the 90 minutes.

The rest of the formation was difficult to pin down. Yannick Loemba, who started on the left before spending much of the second half up front, was pretty much given licence to roam, with the hard-working Craig Curran plugging the gaps the mercurial attacker left free.

At times it looked like 4-4-2, at others it was more 4-3-3, but whatever their shape the victory rarely looked in doubt – even if they struggled to move the ball around effectively for large spells, which led some supporters to voice their frustration at 1-0.

Laszlo prioritises preserving rather than extending leads and did so to great effect as Hearts manager when he led them to third in 2009. It is no doubt a risky strategy and could backfire given the competitiveness of the division.

Against Thistle on Saturday it was from set-pieces that United looked their most threatening, and from which their first two goals came. The scorer of those two, Paul Watson, and Laszlo himself both confirmed after the match that it is something they have dedicated a lot of time to on the training field.

The third was a tap-in, though a well-earned goal, for Curran after a blistering run from Fraser Aird down the left flank.

United are still missing several players. Their captain Sam Stanton, who has played in the vast majority of games under Laszlo, was out with a hernia problem which looks to require an operation.

While Stanton may be out for a number of weeks yet, Callum Booth was a second-half substitute and Nicky Clark missed out with a minor injury. Both of those undoubtedly strengthen the squad if not the starting XI.

Further down the line, the likes of Fraser Fyvie and Billy King will return, further improving the squad and there are noises that one or two more will be brought in before the transfer window closes.

And with the likes of Christoph Rabitsch and Fraser Aird improving after an indifferent start to their United careers, things are finally looking up for the Tannadice side.

There clearly remains a lot of work to do, there is much room for improvement and they remain just a couple of poor results away from another crisis given their stature and ambition.

Despite those concerns, back-to-back league victories is no doubt a step in the right direction.

Have we already witnessed the game of the season?

NO, not Peter Hartley’s inevitable equaliser earning his side a point after some ill-judged comments earlier in the week. Rather Raith Rovers’ astonishing comeback at the Excelsior.

It’s sounds like something from the most-difficult challenge in the Scenario Mode on Pro Evolution 4. You’re 3-1 behind, down to 10 men and there are three minutes of the 90 remaining. Your challenge is to win the game.

Though win Raith did. Their celebrations at Kevin Nesbitt’s equaliser were wild enough, and the away side would surely have settled for a point there and then.

But the celebrations at the winner saw the match-day stewards intervene and even brought a post-match smile to the face of Barry Smith, with the Raith manager using the opportunity to have a pop at the negativity “within and outside” the club’s support.

After an uninspiring start to the season – finishing bottom of their Betfred Cup group stage below Cowdenbeath and Cove Rangers and two draws in their first three league matches (versus East Fife and Stranraer) – Raith now sit second in League One, unbeaten and two points behind high-flying Arbroath.

Worrying times for goalless Albion Rovers

THIS column has tried to focus on the positive stories in the Scottish lower leagues thus far but the plight of Albion Rovers cannot be ignored any longer.

After starting last season well but ultimately suffering relegation, you could have been forgiven for thinking they’d be among the favourites for promotion. However, budget constraints meant that the likes of Sean Higgins, Alan Trouten and Graeme Holmes left the club – among many, many others – to be replaced by a clutch of players from the juniors.

This strategy has worked in the past – most notably for their most recent opponents Queen’s Park – while the likes of Kris Doolan and Chris Erskine are individual examples of unearthed gems from that level.

After a goalless Betfred Cup run, new manager John Brogan would have been keen for the league to commence, but the poor form has merely continued.

So far unable to register a goal in the league, Brogan’s side began with back-to-back 4-0 defeats before going down by a single goal at home to Elgin. Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Hampden has left them joint-bottom with Stirling but below Dave Mackay’s side with a goal difference of -11.

Rovers did manage a goal in the Irn Bru Cup – in a 3-1 defeat at Edinburgh City – though that will provide little comfort.

While things may not have quite reached Fort William proportions, it’s looking like it will be a long season ahead for the Cliftonhill support.