Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Seamless start for keeper Seny delights gaffer
DUNDEE boss Jim McIntyre is delighted at Seny Dieng’s “seamless” introduction to top-flight Scott ish footba l l a fter losing No 1 goalie Jack Hamilton at the turn of the year.
The former Hearts stopper looked to have cemented his place as No 1 ahead of Elliott Parish at the tail end of last year with some good displays.
That all came to an end as we crossed into 2019, however, with news he’d require surgery to fix a broken finger and would be out of action for some time.
In stepped Swiss keeper Dieng on loan from QPR, a player not many this side of the border new much, if anything, about after a couple of loan moves to non-league clubs before spending the first half of this season at League Two Stevenage.
The 24-year-old’s lack of first-team football hasn’t held him back in his start to life at Dens Park, however, as he’s provided a commanding presence in his area and made some big saves when called upon.
Jim said: “It’s been pretty seamless and Seny deserves a lot of credit for that.
“He’s come into an environment he doesn’t know, a league he’s not played in before, he’s inexperienced in terms of game time but he’s come in and done exceptionally well.
“He’s done a lot of good things, some i mportant saves at key times, no more so than against Kilmarnock.
“It’s great he hits the ground running like that.”
He added: “Any time you see a keeper coming for crosses it’s a good thing.
“He’s a big unit and covers the ground well, has really good reflexes and when the ball is hung up and he thinks he can get it, it’s good to have for your back four.”
That former Grasshoppers man Dieng has impressed so much means that when Hamilton recovers enough to be available for the first team again, he’ll have a job displacing the big goalie.
It’s been a month since news of Hamilton’s issue became apparent and that he’d been playing through the pain for the Dark Blues.