IT might be stretching it to label it building momentum when the results came two weeks apart but Dundee United are clinging to the notion that successive victories can be the springboard for the most unlikely of escapology acts. Saturday’s scrappy 1-0 victory over Partick Thistle did nothing for their league prospects coming as it did in the William Hill Scottish Cup but, on the back of a thumping 5-1 win over Kilmarnock in their previous Ladbrokes Premiership game, a flicker of hope has emerged that they can yet avoid relegation.

The odds are still very much against them making up the 11 points to second-bottom Kilmarnock – even with two games in hand – but there were further signs at the weekend that should offer cause for optimism as they head into two pivotal league matches against Hamilton and then Motherwell.

If the win over Kilmarnock was a spectacular show of strength, then Saturday’s performance highlighted other qualities, namely an ability to scrap and battle, to thwart the opposition and take your chance when it presents itself. The end result was a first clean sheet against top-flight opposition since the end of October and a place in this evening’s draw for the quarter-finals.

It wasn’t pretty by any stretch. “Minging” was how goalscorer Scott Fraser succinctly described it, an assertion given further credence by the fact that the substitute was given the man of the match award despite playing for only the final16 minutes. United, though, are not in a position to fuss over the aesthetic qualities of a performance. They need wins and how they are achieved matters very little right now.

“It was massive,” said Fraser of Saturday’s result. “It's another game that we've won so we'll go onto Hamilton next week and look to make it three on the bounce. It doesn't matter if we play good football at the moment, just as long as we win games. We ground out a result here. A few weeks ago, we would probably have lost that game. But thankfully we've managed to nick it and we're into the next round.”

The return of midfielder Paul Paton from long-term injury has coincided with United’s belated return to form. Fraser thinks that isn’t just by chance. “I think he's quite an unsung hero if you like,” said the 20 year-old. “He does the ugly side of the game which players like myself need to learn.

“But it's obviously good playing in front of players like that. I felt him and Guy Demel worked well together. They give you that sort of assurance behind you that if you lose the ball, you won't get exploited, so you can still go and express yourself.”

The goal was the one bit of quality in an otherwise torrid match. With both teams favouring a 3-5-2 formation, a congested midfield meant chances were of a premium and it soon became a towsy affair. The goal, that came five minutes from time, was the sole talking point, the talented Blair Spittal sliding a pass through to Fraser who applied a composed finish.

“It was a great pass through from Spitts,” said the goal scorer. “We've come to expect that from him. He's hit a good bit of form. Thankfully he's seen my run. It's one we've been practising in training. The gaffer is always on at me. Rather than me getting the ball and making the pass, he's looking for me to get on the end of a pass and put it in the goal.”

Instead of preparing for a replay at Firhill tomorrow night - as seems likely as play ticked down at Tannadice - Thistle have only their own involvement in the relegation story to focus on now. If unlikely to be caught by United, they could yet find themselves in the play-off place, something they are understandably keen to avoid.

“We don't want to get dragged back into the relegation picture,” said defender Freddie Frans. “I think all the games coming up are very important. Even the Hearts and Aberdeen games, it's important we take something from them if we can. We're not on a bad run or anything like that. It's just bad luck that we lost this game because we wanted a cup run."