Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
O’Dea urging keep up their
DARREN O’Dea has called on Dundee to climb clear of the madness at the bottom of the Premiership table, revealing they want to be looking at the top half by the time the winter break comes around.
There are six games in December ahead of the mid-season breather and, with 18 points up for grabs in a table where bottom spot and sixth are separated by just two points, the Dark Blues — with three wins from their last four — are heading into them in just the right form.
Wins over Hamilton, Motherwell and Inverness have seen Dundee shoot off bottom spot and almost into the top half of the division.
Former Blackpool, Leeds and Celtic player O’Dea admits he’s never experienced a league table quite as close as this season’s Premiership.
He said: “The Championship in England is similar in that if you have a bad run, you can find yourself near the bottom but three or four wins in a row and you’re near the top.
“However, I’ve never been in a position where I’m bottom of the league on a Saturday morning and then going from literally worst-case scenario to almost in the top six in one game at this stage of the season.
“At the minute, it’s about putting wins together which we’re doing and there’s a run of games now until the New Year and a break where we’d love to put a dent in the league.
“We’re on a run now and it’s great to be in, there’s momentum.
“It is true, we weren’t at our best last weekend against Inverness but we’re in a habit of winning and there is momentum behind us.
“Hopefully, we can keep that going and I’d love to be in a good position after the New Year in a place where we’re looking forward to the top six rather than worrying what’s behind after the break.
“There’s a lot of big games before then and Kilmarnock is obviously one of them.”
Killie sit in 11th spot, five places below Dundee but remarkably just one point behind.
With teams so bunched up, picking up a few results on the bounce is vital for O’Dea, especially against teams in and around the Dark Blues.
“I think the way the league is now, in every game there’s loads to play for.