Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Roarie aims to silence Ibrox crowd
On paper, a single point from four games is hardly the kind of form that inspires confidence going to a place like Ibrox.
In-form winger Roarie Deacon, however, insists Dundee are on a high as they prepare to face Rangers on their own patch tomorrow.
That’s because the one point the Dark Blues have picked up to date came last time out against Hibs and, crucially, it represented them finally getting some reward for the quality of football that’s been produced.
And he admits it helped lift a growing sense of frustration in the Dens dressing-room that the level of performance was not being reflected in results.
“The point against Hibs before the international break was a very big lift for us,” said the 25-year-old.
“In all games this season, in terms of our play, I think we’ve done well.
“From the Ross County game to the Hibs one last time out I think we’ve deserved something from every game. We just weren’t getting the results.
“The result at Aberdeen hurt us the most after we got back on level terms and they scored a late goal to beat us 2-1.
“That game we did very well and, in the second half especially, we could have won the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t.
“So to come back here and get the point against Hibs in the next game was big. To be fair to them they pressured us for a long spell in the second half but we rode that, stuck together and got the draw.
“It was a relief because the worst result you can have is to play well and be losing. As a player you think what more do we have to do to get something from the game.
“That’s what was happening and all of us have sat down and said we deserve a lot more than we’ve got so far this season. The gaffer’s said it to us and in quite a few interviews.”
What Deacon feels was vital in that run was that Neil McCann and his players did not stop believing in what they were setting out to do.
Dundee have stuck to the principle