That left a question mark over the already-postponed tie and further doubt was cast by the SFA, who were monitoring weather warnings of severe gales and heavy rain for parts of Britain this evening.

“We are very conscious of that, and the safety of the teams and the spectators is of paramount importance to us. Right now, the warnings are for the north-west, but we appreciate weather forecasting is not an exact science and that is why we called for a further check,” said association press officer Andy Mitchell.

While this was leaving it to the last minute for fans planning to make the journey from Dundee — only half those who were allocated 600 free tickets are expected to travel — the United team had no option other than to head south.

“There is not a lot we can do about the situation other than make sure we prepare properly for the game, so we’ve headed down there,” said boss Ian McCall.

It is understood, though, that given the warnings of winds of up to 80 mph in the general area tonight, United’s feeling is that it might have been safer to call the game off first thing this morning. That view was backed up by horrendous conditions south of Glasgow this afternoon, as torrential rain and high winds made driving extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, a weekend of cup shocks on both sides of the border will ensure United do not take Gretna lightly.

A waterlogged pitch gave the Tangerines a day off on Saturday, and striker Stevie Crawford watched with interest as news of several shocks in the FA and Scottish cups came through.

“You had results like Exeter drawing at Man. United and a few big clubs down there getting knocked out by teams from lower leagues,” he said. “Up here, you also had a couple of results that will have raised a few eyebrows and that tells you that no one can afford to be complacent in the cup.”

That is something United will not be guilty of against a team they know would probably do well in the First Division.

“To be honest, I do not know a lot about them as a club other than their owner being a millionaire who has put a bit of cash in.

“Individually, I know David Bingham well and big Andy Smith, too. David is a great footballer, which has been shown in the goals he has scored, and he is one we will have to keep an eye on. And, when you look at the league table, you see that Gretna have pulled out a massive gap at the top of their league. At this stage of the season, you have to respect that. They are ambitious and this is a massive game for them, so we do not expect an easy time.”

Already CIS Cup semi-finalists, United’s own ambitions also stretch to a good run in the Scottish, but, despite being a finalist with Dunfermline last term, Crawford prefers to take things one tie at a time.

“Obviously, when you look at the squad we have, you would say there is the ability to do what Dunfermline did last year. However, to talk in those terms would be disrespectful to Gretna, and dangerous. We are only thinking about this tie and, if we can get through it, then we’ll worry about what is to come.”

The one thing Crawford does not want is another call off to further delay his debut.

“All the boys were disappointed because we had prepared properly for the game, but you cannot legislate for the weather conditions. Now we are just looking forward to getting down there again and playing this time.”

“Hopefully, the game goes ahead alright and we do not have another wasted journey, because there is nothing worse than a game being called off a few times. We’ve got a few important games coming up and we do not want a backlog of fixtures.”

United have denied Collin Samuel is on the verge of moving to St Johnstone, though the Trinidad striker has been told he is free to find another club.

Tickets for next month’s CIS Cup semi-final against Rangers go on sale to season ticket holders tomorrow and Thursday, and will be on general sale from Friday.

“One is a right-back, the other a centre-half and both are coming here with a view to strengthening the first team,” said Jim.

“They will be here for a while so that we can decide if they would add to the team. At this time of year, the weather can make it hard to arrange bounce games and get good training facilities and that’s why I haven’t put a time limit on their stay.”

Jim also confirmed the Dark Blues have made an inquiry about the availability of Hearts striker Ramon Pereira, though, like most other potential transfer targets, he has a number of options to consider before he decides on his future.

Likewise, those players who are already at Dens but whose contracts expire in the summer, have a great deal to think about before they decide to accept or reject the offer of new deals.

Among those in that position is defender Brent Sancho, who is now being linked with West Ham as well as the Dark Blues’ SPL rivals Livingston.

“We have offered Brent a contract, but we appreciate that, as with all other players we’ve been speaking to — whether they are already here or not — there could be other interest in them and, because of our budget, we are not in a position to demand a quick answer from anyone,” added Jim.

Other transfer speculation surrounding Dens personnel has had Lee Wilkie in Leicester at the weekend for signing talks — he was not — or signing a pre-contract agreement with city rivals United.

The manager, though, is concentrating on what is happening rather than what might be.

“I’ve heard those ones as well, along with many others. If I start commenting on every rumour about us just now it would take up all my time, so it’s better to leave them alone,” he said.

“This move will not happen now, but that’s just the way it goes,” said Connolly.

The Saints boss did stress, however, that he was still talking to two or three other players, although he indicated Dundee United forward Collin Samuel was not one of them.

Meanwhile, St Johnstone have fixed up a closed-door game against Dundee United in Dundee tomorrow.