Mann, though, believes that, even with a bigger deficit to haul back, the Dens men would still fancy their chances of being in the mix in the final weeks of the campaign — and history is on his side.

“It’s still only November, so, even if we were to go 12 or 13 points behind the leaders, I would still feel we would be capable of catching them by the end of the season,” said the big centre-half.

“I was nine points off the top with six games to go when I was up at Inverness and we ended up winning the title by two points, so that shows the kind of gap that can be closed quickly if you hit a run of form.

“Up there, we went on a winning streak and we knew we had to because there was no way back if we didn’t win each game. That’s the way we should look at it now and try to go on a run.”

He does accept the First Division this season is a league where such runs will be difficult, though the fact every team is capable of picking up victories has, so far, helped Dundee.

“I don’t know if anyone will go on a six or seven game run and it is the kind of league where, even when your going well, it might be three wins and a couple of draws you are getting. We, though, should be looking to win every time we go out, especially here at Dens.”

And, while bottom spot is three points closer than top, Mann is adamant the entire squad is still only thinking in terms of challenging for promotion.

“If we are in the First Division, the fans here will always be looking for a challenge and that is how it should be. You’ve got to be positive, be looking up the table and believe you are good enough.

“If we lose games like this one, that might change, but it isn’t something we will think about — we’ll go in looking for the three points our performance, hopefully, deserves and try to build from there.”

Like his manager has been stressing all week, the fact the Diamonds occupy bottom spot should not be taken as an indication the points will be easy.

“When we played them down there we beat them, but they had 10 men for most of the game and still made it very hard for us, and it will be the same this time.”

After last week’s defeat at Queen of the South, experienced defender Gary Smith is set to be handed his first start, while Andy McLaren is also expected to be included in the XI.

However, there is no place for Ross Harris (swollen ankle) or Brian McGinty (groin), who have been ruled out due to injuries.

That means a tighter defensive performance, but also a continuation of the passing game that saw United dominate for long spells against the Pars.

“It’s obvious we have to defend a little better, because we lost two bad goals last week and that is something we have been working on,” said Craig today.

“We also want to get the ball down, pass it and use it quickly, but that is something that can been dictated to an extent by the team you are playing — and St Mirren are hard to break down.

“Coming in, they recognised this is a league that is about being solid and being organised, and that is what they have been complimented a lot on this year, so it is not going to be easy.

“However, we are at home and the onus is on us to go and try to win the game and, to be fair to the players, that is what they have done in every game so far.

“It might require a bit of patience and we have to recognise that we don’t have a big 6 ft. 4 in. striker we can bang the ball up to, so we have to be creative.

“Again, in fairness that is what the players did at Dunfermline last week and played quite well, so it is about keeping that going.”

As usual, Craig was reluctant to reveal too much about changes he may make, but he did concede defender David McCracken looks to be losing his battle to overcome a hamstring strain.

If he is unfit, who partners Garry Kenneth in the heart of defence will only be revealed when the team list is submitted an hour before kick-off, but the main candidates look to be Alan Archibald, in a straight swap, or Lee Mair moving from right-back with David Proctor returning to fill in there.

“I’d say right now that the odds are against David, but we do have an extra day this week and we will see if that helps. I do have a change in mind if I have to make it,” added Craig.

Livi are four points adrift of the Perth men, so a win for Saints will see them go further clear and, depending on the result at Gretna, close up on one or both of the top two.

As he reflected back on the disappointment of Wednesday, Saints player-boss Owen Coyle remarked, “How we got only a point against Ross County is beyond me. After our poor display against Airdrie United, I got a reaction in Dingwall.

“In the first half in particular, we played some good football — but we just didn’t take some of the chances which came our way and that cost us.”

A straight red card for the handball offence which led to Ross County’s late equalising penalty means Paul Lawson misses out tomorrow.

Steven Milne, Simon Mensing and Martin Hardie are again nursing knocks but Owen is hoping they’ll be OK.

“If we play as we did in the first half at Dingwall, we’ll be OK,” added Owen who is set to give another starting berth to ex-Livi man Goran Stanic, who has had a fine season.

In the previous meeting between the sides this season, the spoils were shared in an Almondvale draw.

Saints’ skipper Kevin James was taken off that day with knee and ankle injuries, but, after a lengthy period sidelined, he was on the bench against Ross County. He could be there again tomorrow.

Likely to be leaving McDiarmid in the transfer window is Darren Sheridan, who wants a club nearer his Manchester home.

The first 1800 Saints fans through the turnstiles tomorrow will receive a voucher for a ticket to the CIS Cup semi against Hibs at Tynecastle on January 31,