Dundee United are back in the Premiership at the first time of asking. Well, not officially perhaps, but a 1-0 win over ten-man Ayr United in front of their biggest home crowd of the season has all but confirmed it.

Technically, one more point is still required to clinch the Championship title. But try telling that to the supporters who invaded the pitch at full-time or the players who cracked open the bubbly in the dressing room afterwards. The party wasn't for waiting, and neither it should. A six-point lead over second-placed Raith Rovers with two games remaining and a goal difference advantage of plus 36 is insurmountable. United are champions.

It was fitting that a young academy graduate should net the winning goal – 76th-minute substitute Chris Mochrie scoring just two minutes after coming on to spark bedlam in the stands. For manager Jim Goodwin, this was a day of redemption. Sacked from Aberdeen after a nightmare run of form last season, then failing to save United from relegation, he was a man under pressure to deliver promotion at the first attempt. Afterwards, he admitted his overwhelming emotion was one of relief as he reflected on a “long season”. At times it felt on edge. Such was the expectation on both him and United that a recent 3-1 defeat at Dunfermline, amid a run of just five victories in 12 league matches, had some fans calling for the manager's head.

Dundee United's Tony Watt celebrates after fans invade the pitch at full-time following the 1-0 win over Ayr United that has effectively sealed the Championship title. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Those opinions will have likely soothed by now. Goodwin has fulfilled his mission objective and has done so with a record that stands up to scrutiny. Providing his side collects four more points from the remaining two matches he will have achieved the best record of any Championship-winning manager since Mark Warburton's Rangers in 2015-16. United are already eight points better off than the tally reached by their city rivals Dundee in winning the second tier last season. For all their flaky moments, Goodwin and United have ultimately delivered. Little wonder, then, the Irishman was not for putting the champagne on ice over a technicality.

“That's the benefit of being in the position that we're in with the goal difference,” Goodwin said, as he accepted that his side are, in effect, champions. “The players deserve a huge amount of credit for that. Defensively we've been solid and scored a huge amount of goals and that has put us in the position that we're in today where we're able to celebrate. Of course, it's not mathematically impossible and people will still say we need to wait a little while before we can be crowned champions but given how well we've been defensively I don't see us losing that amount of goals in the next couple of games regardless of how hard we party over the next few days.”

It had been shaping up to a frustrating afternoon for the majority inside Tannadice, with the anticipation among the 10,000 home fans ebbing away the longer the match wore on as Scott Brown's visitors proved stuffy opponents. Two crucial decisions decided the outcome. The first came from referee Craig Napier, who brandished a straight red card at Ayr United right-back Nick McAllister in the 60th minute for raising an elbow in the direction of Glenn Middleton, who went down clutching his face off the ball. That gave United, who had looked spooked by the occasion, some fresh impetus but still the frustration continued as they pressed and probed without making a breakthrough. That was until Goodwin introduced Mochrie with 14 minutes remaining. The 21-year-old, who has made some telling contributions in his fleeting appearances this season, has now sealed his place in history as the scorer of the goal that took the club back to the top flight.

A cross from David Wotherspoon to the back post was met by Tony Watt, and although his powerful downward header was saved by Josh Clarke, Mochrie followed in to stab the ball over the line. The celebrations kicked off big-time and they went up a notch on the final whistle as thousands streamed onto the pitch to greet the players, who posed for selfies before disappearing up the tunnel. A tannoy announcement was made stating that the players would not return for a lap of honour. That can wait until after the final home match against Partick Thistle on Friday, May 3 when United will be presented with the Championship trophy.

Dundee United's Chris Mochrie celebrates scoring the winning goal against Ayr United that has effectively sealed promotion back to the Premiership. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Goodwin admitted he was grateful to his United bosses for standing by him. He can now look forward to attempting to further rebuild his and the club’s reputation in the top flight next term. “Over the next few days I'll maybe reflect on my own personal things,” Goodwin said. “There's no getting away from it, it's been a difficult 18 months. What happened up at Aberdeen wasn't a lot of fun and then last season not being able to keep this club in the Premier League was a huge disappointment.

“I'm extremely grateful to the powers that be here that they showed faith and belief in me in the summer. It would have been easy to draw a line under it after relegation and go in a different direction. They've shown a lot of confidence in me. I owe Luigi Capuano, the chief executive, a lot for the support he's given me and the chairman as well, for the financial backing that he's given me.

“We had a big job in the summer, we had to offload the bigger wage earners then we had to try and recruit players who are used to this league and had success in this league in the past, and thankfully it's all paid off. I don't want to be thinking too much about what next season looks like. I'm going to enjoy tonight and we'll enjoy tomorrow, then on Monday as a club we'll get back to business.”

Dundee United pitch invasion marks unofficial title win as Jim Goodwin reflects on day of redemption

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