As long as he gets the chance to make a contribution to United’s recent revival, the Trinidad and Tobago attacker will be happy.

“I want to start, but, right now, I am just pleased to be doing a job for the team. After the win on Saturday, we are all looking forward to Aberdeen. We’ve had two draws and a win in our last three games and we are going there with a bit of confidence,” said Samuel.

“I will keep pushing to be in the starting 11, but, the way the manager is using the strikers, we are all playing our part and I have to keep doing what I am doing.

“It is working, because we are starting to get results. We are now on the same points as Aberdeen and very close to the top six, so if we can get a result in this game it will do us a lot of good.”

And he knows any positive impact he has at club level will filter back home and give him a chance of being involved as Trinidad try to qualify for their first-ever finals when they meet Bahrain in a two-leg play-off next month.

A hamstring injury ruled him out of Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker’s last two squads, but he feels ready to return and join fellow Scots-based players Marvin Andrews, Russell Latapy, Kelvin Jack and Jason Scotland on the marathon journey to the Caribbean and the Middle East.

“I was injured and then not quite fit enough for the last games, but, if I am playing well for United, I know I might get back in. It would be a big thing for me if I was involved in these games and then, hopefully, the World Cup Finals.”

Keen to stick with a winning formula, boss Gordon Chisholm is set to keep Samuel among the subs for what he expects to be a tough battle.

Defeat against Hibs on Saturday left the Dons with just one win from six games, but Gordon believes that only makes his players’ task more difficult.

“I think it will be a hard game because there will be a reaction from their result at the weekend. When we played them on the first day of the season I thought it was a very even game and I don’t expect this one to be any different,” he said.

“The way we are playing, though, we have to be looking to build on Saturday’s win and get another positive result.”

And he gave a big hint he would be leaving the starting line-up unchanged for a fourth-consecutive game.

“We only have Lee Mair on the injury list and the extra competition having most of the boys fit has been a help. I’ve also been in the lucky position that, in the last few games, I’ve been able to use my subs for tactical reasons or to freshen the team up and not because someone wasn’t playing well. It’s been working well and, when that’s the case, you don’t want to make changes you don’t have to.”

Given the international friendly is set for a 4 pm start and is likely to be screened live both in this country and on the other side of the Atlantic, Dundee and Saints will now look at bringing their kick-off forward, possibly to 1 pm.

When it emerged last week the SFA were likely to pencil in a fixture two weeks on Saturday, when there is no SPL games but the three other divisions are in action, Partick Thistle raised the matter with the Scottish League.

They, in turn, expressed some concern and asked that if Scotland were playing, at the very least the game should not kick-off at 3 pm and, ideally, it would be an away fixture.

The second part of that plea has fallen on deaf ears, but Dundee will not moan about it.

World Cup play-offs that day already mean they and Saints will be denied the services of Trinidad and Tobago stars Kelvin Jack and Jason Scotland, and being up against an international fixture could hit what was expected to be one of the healthier crowds of the season.

Even all that, though, has left the Dark Blues unperturbed.

“We think national football and the interests of the Scotland team are paramount and, because of that, our reaction is that we would even look at an early kick-off to accommodate fans,” said a Dens spokesman today.

“Hopefully, supporters will still come to see us and then also be able to take in the Scotland game on television. But, as far as we are concerned, if Walter Smith feels Scotland need a game then they should have a game.”

Meanwhile, before his attention turns to that game against his former club St Johnstone, Dens boss Alan Kernaghan will be concentrating on preparing for tomorrow night and the visit of Clyde, another of his previous employers and then the trip to face Airdrie United on Saturday.

His desire to see more action in the opposition goalmouth could bring about a change up front and the manager again showed his willingness to consider youth when he revealed 20-year-old Andy Ferguson and, in particular, teenager Craig O’Reilly were in his thoughts.

“O’Reilly has been doing very well and looked good when he came on against St Mirren on Saturday. He did miss a good chance, but, overall, he has been impressing me and he could come in.”

“Our fans are absolutely great. They get right behind the team and we’re looking for them to do the same tonight.

“On Saturday, their support was tremendous down at Dumfries. Some of them were even in fancy dress and they really enjoyed their day out.

“The fans really are very supportive of the club and, hopefully, they’ll cheer us on to victory tonight.”

Saints’ last match against Hamilton at McDiarmid resulted in a win for the visitors. That put them into the Bell’s Cup Final against St Mirren, although the Perth club won the league meeting between the two earlier this season at New Douglas Park.

“This is an opportunity for us to leapfrog Hamilton,” Owen continued. “It will be a difficult game for us, but I’m pleased with the way we’ve been playing. Some of our passing football has been really good.”

Saints do have injury concerns for the game, though.

Kevin Fotheringam and Peter MacDonald are still out long term, Scott Paterson is also on the sidelines, and they could be joined tonight by Goran Stanic, Kevin Rutkiewicz and John Henry.

But Owen will give these three every chance of proving their fitness for what is a vitally-important game.