Winning a manager of the month award has long been known as a curse on a team for their next game.
Winning a player of the month award must have the opposite effect.
Because the man announced earlier this week as the best footballer in the Premiership in January was the man who secured three points for Dundee in this Tayside derby.
Kane Hemmings’ season just keeps getting better and better, with his two goals at Dens Park making it a hugely impressive 12 goals in nine games and 18 for the season.
The ex-Cowdenbeath star is Scotland’s hottest striker just now and his poacher’s finish in the first half and a powerful 18-yarder in the second 45 were fine examples of his work.
It was a deserved victory for Paul Hartley’s men, who have now leapfrogged Saints into fifth.
For the McDiarmid Park side their winless run goes on, and has now reached nine games.
Dundee were unchanged from last weekend, while Saints brought in Simon Lappin and Murray Davidson for Liam Craig and Chris Millar.
Graham Cummins made his presence felt on Scott Bain early on when they both went up for a cross on the six yard line and the keeper spilled the ball.
Referee Craig Thomson took his time before deciding that the challenge was too robust, and awarded a free-kick.
Dundee’s first decent attempt on goal came on 10 minutes at the end of a slick passing move. Greg Stewart shot from the edge of the box but his effort was well wide of Alan Mannus’s left-hand post.
Saints broke up a Dundee attack at their own 18-yard line and launched a swift counter that had the home defence exposed for numbers. Darnell Fisher, the man who started the attack, got himself all the way up the pitch to overlap Danny Swanson, but he was probably too tired by the time he got there and his shot soared over the bar.
It was an open game probably too open for the managers’ liking and Hermmings was next to have a shot, which he dragged wide from the right side of the box.
Given both sides’ offensive and defensive records this was never going to be a 0-0, and the deadlock was indeed broken on 21 minutes.
Stewart did well to work himself some space on the edge of the box and his low shot was one Mannus couldn’t hold. Hemmings, like the on-form finisher he is, was first to react and buried the rebound.
Stewart could have made it two a few minutes later when he cut in from the right on to his favoured left foot. On this occasion the trademark finish wasn’t up to standard and it went straight at Mannus.
Dundee adding to their lead rather than Saints cancelling it out was definitely looking the likelier scenario at this point, and Hemmings latched on to a long punt up the pitch to make Mannus work again.
Swanson squandered an excellent attacking position down the left for the Perth men when, with team-mates well positioned in the box, his cross was sliced and flew over the bar.
Saints finished the first half strongly and David Wotherspoon nearly capitalised on a slack in-field pass from Thomas Konrad, but his well-struck shot was deflected for a corner that came to nothing.
The visitors also started the second period brightly but it counted for nothing when they played a big part in their own downfall for a Dundee second goal on 51 minutes.
Swanson was robbed of possession near the half-way line by Gary Harkins, whose instant pass forward for Hemmings was perfectly weighted. The former Rangers man took one touch and then unleashed a lethal left foot finish to give Mannus no chance.
Dundee were threatening to run up a big score, with Stewart lashing a 62nd minute shot against the bar after he jinked across the box unchallenged.
There was a controversial incident when the Saints players believed Darren O’Dea should have seen red rather than yellow for a reckless challenge on Steven Anderson.
Substitute Liam Craig forced a late save out of Bain but when he parried the ball into free space there were no Saints strikers poised to do a Hemmings.
Dundee Bain, Holt, Konrad, Stewart, Loy (Low 82), Hemmings, Ross, McGowan, McGinn, O’Dea, Harkins (Etxabeguren 87). Subs not used Mitchell, Arturo, Gadzhalov, Kerr, Wighton.
St Johnstone Mannus, Scobbie, Lappin, Anderson, Davidson, MacLean (Kane 69), Wotherspoon (Craig 60), Shaughnessy, Swanson, Cummins (Sutton 69), Fisher. Subs not used Clark, Doyle, Millar, Thomson.
Referee Craig Thomson.
Attendance 4,876