Dundee boss John Brown has pinpointed the danger man his side must stop if they are to have any chance of pulling off an unlikely relegation great escape.
Anything less than a victory at St Mirren will see the Dark Blues fall through the SPL trapdoor with another four games of the season remaining.
That is something Brown is desperate to avoid, but he insists Dundee’s chances of doing so will be dependant on keeping Buddies’ striker Steven Thompson quiet.
The manager said: “Steven is a quality player.
“He’s a real handful and if we don’t handle him properly on Saturday, then we’ll be in trouble. I obviously know him from our time together at Rangers and he’s a smashing lad with a great attitude.
“He’s had a dream season winning the League Cup recently with his boyhood idols and will be wanting to end the season on a high. So we should know what to expect from him. He’s big, strong and can take a goal given half a chance.
“Steven is always a threat in the opposition penalty area and I think he’s the kind of player who has got better as his career has progressed.
“It will be good to see him again on Saturday, but hopefully he doesn’t have too much to celebrate about.”
Dundee kept their faint survival hopes alive by winning their last match against Kilmarnock during which Brown employed Matt Lockwood as a sweeper with the veteran given instructions to help talk young central defenders Kyle Benedictus and Declan Gallagher through the game.
Skipper Gary Irvine was suspended for the match in Ayrshire but is now available once again, leaving Brown with a selection headache.
The manager said: “Matt did excellent in our last game against Kilmarnock.
“It was the first time he had played at sweeper in his career, but he was very keen and made the most of the opportunity. I liked the way he communicated with the two younger lads in front of him.
“He’s a good talker and I feel that’s something we’ve needed at the heart of the defence. Now it gives me options as to what to do for this game against St Mirren.
“But any manager likes to have options. We know how big a game this is and are looking forward to it. It’s a cup final as far as we’re concerned and we’ll be treating it as such.”