George Cran

Have the Dark Blues finally found a danger man to lead the line?

IT’S been a long time since Dundee have had a real goal-getter to lead the line but early performances from Andrew Nelson suggest they might just have found one.

Rory Loy, Marcus Haber, Faissal El Bakhtaoui, Sofien Moussa, A-Jay Leitch-Smith, Jean Mendy and Benjy Kallman have all tried to be that man for the Dark Blues but fell short.

For a spell in November and December, Kenny Miller looked like he’d be able to fill that role after banging in seven goals in five games but he’s not found the net since.

To be kind, we’ll not mention his last kick of the ball for the club.

Leaving the burden of getting the goals Dundee have been crying out for on the shoulders of a 39-yearold didn’t ever strike me as a viable plan, no matter how good his career has been.

Thankfully, there is hope manager Jim McIntyre has found the goalscorer that can fire his side to safety in Nelson.

I am wary of hailing a new Dee messiah before he’s even got his feet in the door but, from his opening few appearances for the club, he looks a real handful.

Three excellent goals in his first three league games has already propelled him into second in the George Cran Column Dark Blues’ list of top scorers – if they even have such a thing.

And it’s difficult not to let the optimism grow with the thought he might be able to keep that sort of form up.

That’s because it’s been an age since fans at Dens have had a forward player they can expect to do damage to the opposition week in, week out.

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Kane Hemmings and Greg Stewart left and it’s been a scrap against relegation ever since with both Paul Hartley and Neil McCann losing their jobs in the meantime.

What the current manager needed to avoid the same fate was to do something his predecessors couldn’t – find a goalscorer.

I’m not talking the level of Hemmings or Stewart but somebody who can get near to double figures before the end of the season.

With a supporting cast of players like Miller, Craig Curran, Scott Wright, Andy Dales and Jesse Curran, hopefully, pitching in on the goal front, I believe Dundee can drag themselves to safety.

A big part of that will be keeping Nelson fit – injuries have been a problem for him in his short career so far.

Do that and it looks like the Dark Blues finally have a real danger man to lead the line.

Andrew Nelson has made quite an impact at Dens Park.