Lennon wary of Dundee threat to his top-six goal

ST MIRREN manager Danny Lennon believes something will have to give as his top-six chasing side take on relegation-threatened Dundee.

Lennon still believes his Paisley men can bridge a seven-point gap and steer themselves into the top half of the SPL for the first time. Winning their game in hand over the rest of the SPL, therefore, would go a long way towards breaking new ground.

But John Brown’s Dundee desperately need the three points too as they strive to complete the most unlikely of escape jobs at the foot of the table.

Brown was brought in as part of a last-ditch attempt to battle out of the drop zone and, for that reason – along with the slim thread that currently holds his own team’s ambitions in place – Lennon claims their meeting will be a win-or-bust encounter.

The St Mirren manager – whose side are unbeaten in their two previous meetings with the Dark Blues this term but go into the match on the back of a Scottish Cup defeat to Celtic – said: “I don’t know Bomber [Brown] a great deal but you can see the impact that the change in manager has already had. They were unlucky to lose against Dundee United on Sunday in the Scottish Cup and fought back well against St Johnstone to get a draw last week.

“So we know it’s going to be a tough game. Even though we have beaten them both times we have played them this season, they were hard games.

“But we are out to show our ambition and, if we want to get to where we want to be, it’s a must-win situation. But likewise, if Dundee want to survive, they will need the three points too. Someone will ultimately end up disappointed.”

The compact nature of the SPL table this season means just 16 points currently separate ten of the 12 teams. And for that reason, Lennon hasn’t given up hope that his team could go even further than their original target of sixth.

He said: “This game is of huge importance to us because we still have a strong desire to keep chapping at the door for the top six.”

Brown admits the match cannot come soon enough for his players as they attempt to recover from Sunday’s cup defeat to Dundee United. He said: “It’s another game for the players to look forward to. It’s always disappointing losing to your biggest rivals in any derby game but we have to move on. It’s good we have this opportunity to bounce back so soon and hopefully we do our best to take it.”