Although the Tynecastle men boast a healthier league position, United boss Ian McCall was reasonably optimistic about getting his man. He stressed that had nothing to do with reports his club were prepared to pay a huge wage to clinch the deal.

“I don’t know where these stories have come from and I don’t know why they have to be written, but I can say we are not offering Stevie anything like the money that has been talked about in some places,” said Ian.

“What we have put together is a package that represents a decent wage for a good player, but, more than that, the reason I believe we have a chance of getting him is the work we have done in persuading him this is the place to come to.

“The chairman and the directors have worked very hard to sell the club to him and outlined the direction it is heading in. I’ve also had a chat with him about the football side and I believe I have convinced him we are going in the right direction — I think it also helps that I know the boy.”

Once an answer is received from Crawford, attention will shift to bringing ex-Dundee defender Lee Mair back from Stockport County and tying up Paul Ritchie on a long-term deal.

“What I can say about Lee Mair is that I have now had a chat with his agent and the boy himself, and that is something where there might be developments on later in the week.

“We are also hopeful about Paul’s situation. A bit was said when he did not sign straight away when we offered him a new deal, but I did not have a problem with that.

“He wanted time to think and make sure he was doing what was best for him and his family and I understand that completely. I’ve always felt he would sign on for us and now I think that is close to happening.”

Meanwhile, Karim Kerkar has left the club after rejecting the offer of a contract to the end of the month.

There were no fresh injury problems from Saturday’s draw with title-chasing Rangers and, as his attention turned to this weekend’s Tennent’s Scottish Cup trip to Gretna, Ian travelled to watch the Third Division leaders in action at Queen’s Park.

“Lee had doubts about playing on the plastic pitch, but he came through the game unscathed and, for his first game back, played very well. That has to be a big boost for us,” said Jim today.

“I would also say that, unlike the defeat at Kilmarnock earlier in the week, our general play was not bad and we were maybe a bit unlucky not to score more than one.

“The bottom line, though, is that defensively we are still not doing anything like as well as we should. I’m not just talking individually, but as a unit and we know we have to improve.”

An improvement will have to come quickly if Dundee are to retain any interest in this season’s Scottish Cup beyond Saturday’s visit to in-form Hibs.

“They are playing well and are very dangerous. We know we have to go there and be up for it, or we will have a very difficult time.”

Weekend absentees Steve Lovell, Brent Sancho and Garry Brady all remain doubtful for the tie, though they are not being ruled out.

With the transfer window now open, Jim is working towards bringing in a couple of players, though, for the moment, no deals are imminent.

Equally, while there has been interest in Jonay Hernandez and Brent Sancho as they move into the last six months of their contracts, there have still to be firm bids for either.

While Hernandez was only on the bench at Dunfermline, the manager stressed that had more to do with his form than the likelihood of him moving on soon.

“He has not been playing as well as he should be and that is why he was not in the starting line-up. If someone came in with a reasonable offer for him he could be on his way, but no one has and, until that happens, he will remain here and be part of the plans.”

New import Mark Scott played his first game for Stars, and will play in tonight’s game against Hull Stingrays at Dundee Ice Arena.

Man-of-the-Match for Stars was netminder Evan Lindsay.

Stars now take on Hull Stingrays tonight, before travelling to Fife tomorrow to take part in the Capital Cup tournament.

They then have another home game on Thursday against Fife Flyers. The Fife side were narrowly beaten by Hull Stingrays last night. Despite goals from player/coach Mark Morrison and young British defenceman Kyle Horne, Hull grabbed a 3-2 win.

The defeat came on the back of a loss to the Edinburgh Capitals on Saturday, when Fife borrowed Dundee Stars’ back-up goalie Colin Downie to play between the pipes, after Scott Hay was forced to miss the match through a one-game suspension.

Flyers were also missing Dreu Volk and Thomas Muir on Saturday for the same reason, while Karry Biette is still sidelined with a serious eye injury.

Elsewhere in the league, Guildford had been due to travel to Newcastle to play Vipers.

However, Flames refused to travel to the game due to a misunderstanding over insurance premiums. As of yet, it is unclear what action will be taken by the British National League with regards to rescheduling the game and compensation.