Dundee on the brink of relegation as Charlie Adam howler sets them on their way to defeat at St Mirren

Their fate is not yet formally sealed but Dundee can start preparing for second tier football next season.

Still without a victory in the 12 matches he has now overseen since his appointment as manager in February, Mark McGhee now needs a turnaround of miraculous proportions in the final two games of the campaign to avoid the drop.

It was an especially painful afternoon for Dundee captain Charlie Adam whose inexplicable fourth minute error gifted Alex Greive the opener for St Mirren who made sure of maximum points through Curtis Main’s second half strike.

It means St Mirren have now offically ensured their current residency in the top flight of Scottish football will be extended into a fifth year.

Dundee will be making a rapid return to the Championship unless they can win both of their remaining fixtures and 11th-placed St Johnstone lose both of theirs with a seven-goal swing in goal difference along the way.

No matter how many times he might be able to stomach reviewing the footage of his aberration, Adam will struggle to make sense of it.

Taking possession inside his own penalty area, he had several opportunities to clear the ball upfield as he shuffled his way along the line.

Instead, he opted to turn back inside and play the ball back across the six-yard box. With Dundee ‘keeper Harry Sharp left as gobsmacked as the travelling fans behind his goal, Greive seized upon the wholly unexpected opportunity to ram the ball home from close range.

Dundee struggled to regain their composure afterwards and could consider themselves fortunate not to be further behind before the break.

St Mirren were by far the more cohesive and threatening side - Main forced a fine save from Sharp with a header before Greg Kiltie came close