SEPARATED by just 200 yards, but divisions apart. Being situated a league above your city rivals isn't always what it is cracked up to be - you can ask Celtic about that - but Dundee fans can perhaps be excused at least a scintilla of smugness if they gleefully send United on their way at Dens Park on Monday evening.

The last time they enjoyed the privileged status of a division of difference on their deadly rivals down Tannadice Street, after all, a charismatic young senator known as John F Kennedy was just announcing his intention to stand for the democratic nomination. The season in question was 1959-60.

Ron Dixon, the Marr brothers and Calum Melville, though, have all swept through the Dens Park boardroom since then, bringing financial chaos in their wake. These two clubs even went seven years without a competitive derby meeting between 2005 and 2012 but Dundee, once renowned as the city's establishment club, sense the chance to re-establish their supremacy. Now it is Dundee United, with Stephen Thompson announcing his intention to sell and £150,000 signings like Robbie Muirhead walking away for free, who appear in dire financial straits.

Kane Hemmings, who along with his strike partner Greg Stewart is in the running tonight for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award - quite a feat considering the club finished in the bottom six - reacts to all this with this studied indifference. He claims it is only another game, a slight perhaps designed to be even more hurtful to United's feelings than if he had turned, Kevin Keegan-like to the camera, and darkly muttered: "I would love it if we beat them".

“I am sure the fans would enjoy it but for us it is just another game," said Hemmings. "Fans do pick up on things like that and for the fans it would be something to brag about and be pleased about. But it is just another game we want to win to collect the points to give us a better total at the end of the season."

To say the Dundee derby is analogous to any humdrum fixture is a peculiar analysis, considering the evidence of three meetings between the teams this season, matches which have seen no end of drama, including last-minute winners, dismissals and spats in the respective technical areas. Dundee have one win and two draws in the fixture, but when Dundee United grabbed a last-minute equaliser against a 10-man Dens Park outfit (they should have won the match) in March it appeared they would save themselves. Things haven't panned out that way. The best they can do now is a play-off place and even that appears a forlorn hope.

Their imminent relegation will have financial impact for their city rivals but Dundee can't afford to waste time worrying about that. Paul Hartley is building something of value at Dens Park, even if they didn't make the top six and the arrival of Rangers will almost certainly make that equation more difficult next time around.

Hemmings, formerly of the Ibrox side, has 25 goals in all competitions during this campaign, a haul which he puts down to a pre-season adjustment. Convinced he was wasting time, energy and effort out wide, the former Rangers play has done less running and more scoring. With the likes of Gary Harkins and particularly his old Cowdenbeath pal Stewart - with whom he shares a car to training each day - providing the bullets, there is only so much running he needed to do.

“I have been getting in the box and staying there" said Hemmings. "Being selfish about my own play, knowing what my strengths are and just doing that. Maybe last year I wasn’t always in the position to finish chances off but this year I have made a point of getting in the box to score goals and if you look at all my goals I don’t think any of them would be outside the box. Greg’s probably set up 24 of the 25."

Whether either of these two players is still around next season is unclear. While Stewart has a year left on his contract and is thought to be interesting Rangers, Hemmings - with two years left on his current deal - has a contract which is believed to contain a break clause for any clubs prepared to stump up £250,000. Consequently Derby, Blackburn, Bolton, Aston VIlla and QPR are all thought to be monitoring the situation, even if Hemmings says he is in no hurry to leave.

"The boys have been great with me, the gaffer has been great with me and I am scoring goals so I am happy," he said. I have no real intention to seek a move anywhere. I am enjoying playing my football so there is no reason to change that."