HAVING handed Paul Paton his first professional contract during his time in charge of Partick Thistle, Ian McCall fully appreciates the qualities which the midfielder brings to a side.

So he is unsurprised that Dundee United’s improved form of late has coincided with Paton’s return after a lengthy spell out with a knee injury.

United have beaten Kilmarnock, Partick, Thistle, Hearts and Ross County and drawn with Hamilton are now eight points adrift at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership table with a game in hand.

It is still a far from ideal predicament for the Tannadice club with just 11 games of the 2015/16 campaign remaining for them.

Yet, McCall is confident his former club can avoid going down now that his former player Paton, the twice-capped Northern Ireland internationalist, is fit once again.

“United did look dead and buried not so long ago,” he said. "But eight points behind with a game in hand? Absolutely they’re still in it.

“I think getting Paton back, scoring a couple of goals after being out for a good spell, has made the difference.

“I know him very well, having taken him from Queen’s Park to Thistle. He certainly has the right mentality for that type of battle.

“The worry before was that they had so many young ball players. In that position, that’s maybe not what you need. Paul is a strong character and his style of play is such that he is strong and he gets about the pitch well. He does what we term the dirty work.

“I think the very solid base of the really good team that Jackie McNamara had was him and John Rankin sitting there behind four pretty fluid ball players. I think he is a big plus for them and exactly the type of player you need to get out of that.

“But it is just down to confidence and this run of results will have given them real confidence. That can take you anywhere.”

McCall added: “It’s an incredible league this year, in terms of the teams that could go down. All the way up to fourth, St Johnstone, they’re not far out of it.

“That’s the thing, all these clubs will be gutted that United have started to pick up, because suddenly they all come into the equation.

“Not so long ago they were 14 points adrift. Now it’s eight with a game in hand, potentially five, so they’re right back in it. Because of the split that we have in this country, if you are within four or five points at the split, you have a chance because you play clubs around you.

"So absolutely there will be a lot of clubs getting twitchy. Right up to fourth place. I’ve never known anything like it in my time – and that’s a long time! Right up to St Johnstone, you never know who is going to get dragged down. It is great for the neutral but horrible for the guys involved.

“I don’t think anybody wants to finish in 11th because of who they might face in the play-offs, although even that’s looking quite tight with Falkirk catching up on Hibs, who have had a rough time. It’s a crazy Premiership this year, no doubt.”

United take on County in Dingwall in the quarter-final of the William Hill Scottish Cup this Saturday – exactly a week after beating the same side at the same venue by 3-0 in the Premiership.

McCall, whose Ayr United side is pushing hard to win promotion to the Championship this season, feels that game will have no bearing on this weekend’s encounter, but has predicted that progressing to the semi-finals could have a positive impact on them in the league.

“If they’re on a winning run, the cup is welcome,” he said. “I don’t think the physical demands on their players have been huge, so it won’t be a big problem.

‘I think it’s a bonus for them, if anything. It just comes down to the result. If they win and go through to the semis, you’ve got 18 to 20 guys all trying like bears to get a place in a semi-final.

“It was a really surprising result on Saturday. Ross County have been very strong. I’m not sure Dundee United winning 3-0 gives them an upper hand. I think it could go either way.

“The two boys up there (manager Jim McIntyre and his assistant Billy Dodds) have Dundee United connections. Doddsy had arguably his best spell at Dundee United first time around. He was kind of irresistible when he was there first time around. It has got the makings of a really good cup tie."

Ian McCall was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is the proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup.