Liam Fox admits the sooner Dundee United get their first cinch Premiership victory of the season on the board the better.

The Tangerines remain winless in the league after eight games with the latest defeat coming on Saturday at Tannadice to Tayside rivals St Johnstone.

Saints took a firm grip on the contest in the first half with goals by Stevie May and Melker Hallberg with home sub Tony Watt netting a late consolation strike.

The result leaves United rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table with new head coach Fox admitting his team need to start winning sooner rather than later – hopefully against Aberdeen on Saturday.

The 38-year-old said: “I could say it is not going to be a monkey on the back.

“But we are all adults and we realise the sooner we get the win, the better to stop being asked about it.

“We are fully aware of it and we hope to rectify that soon.

“Next week is huge but every game will be huge between now and the end of the season.

“Let’s be clear, we are in a position where we need points – and we need them soon.

“There is no hiding away from that. We need to step up to the challenge and find a way to win.”

United’s cause was not helped against Saints by the absence of experienced defender Charlie Mulgrew with striker Steven Fletcher having to come off in the 56th minute.

However, Fox hopes both will be fit for the Dons clash.

He added: “Steven just had a bit of a tight groin. We got him off before it got any worse, so it shouldn’t be too bad.

“Charlie hurt his thigh on Friday and missed out, which was a disappointment as he’s a big player.

“Hopefully he will be back for next weekend.”

While United are in the doldrums, Saints are now three league games unbeaten and have moved up to eighth in the table.

Boss Callum Davidson is looking for his players to maintain that momentum at Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.

He said: “All we look to do is try to pick up points, especially on the road.

“We have a difficult game coming up on Wednesday.

“We have a few knocks and niggles, so we will assess them, put together a game plan and then try to win the game.

“I think the spirit is there as you can see digging in at the end against United to make sure we win the game so yes, it is positive.”