Despite his side's impressive start to the campaign, Dundee head coach Steven Pressley has warned: "If we take our eye off the ball we will be in trouble."

Having lost one of their past five games, the Dens Park side are handily placed in fifth in the Premiership.

Speaking before Saturday's Tayside derby at St Johnstone, Pressley said: "The league is so so tight, the margins are so, so fine.

"I spoke in the post game against Kilmarnock that if they had beaten us that night the gap between us would be down to three points. Of course getting the win increased it to nine at that time.

"But it just shows you the margins at present and there is very little between all the teams apart from the top three, which makes every game a really big test."

While Dundee's form has been good, so has St Johnstone's.

The Perth side are three points behind the Dark Blues and have lost just once in the league at McDiarmid Park.

Pressley said: "They have been a really impressive team and handled the transition from the Championship to the Premiership in a similar sort of fashion to that of Falkirk last year.

"I think continuity about the group, a clear understanding in the way that the manager wants them to behave and play, is really important. It makes this game a really difficult one.

"They have played six home fixtures and they have only lost one - and that was to Celtic - so that shows the challenge that lies ahead for us.

"I have nothing but praise for them, the manager is doing a terrific job there and has a lot of good players."