Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Dark Blues expect tough test at Livi
DU NDE E boss Jim McI nt y re is tak ing nothing for granted when his improving team face off-form Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena tomorrow.
The Dark Blues head over the Forth on the back of displays against Hamilton and Kilmarnock that, but for injury time mishaps, would have earned six points instead of two.
An injury-time equaliser cost victory at Accies while the chance to take maximum points against Killie last week slipped away when Kenny Miller’s penalty was saved in the fifth minute of time added on.
Now it’s on to Livi, who’ve not won since before the winter break but Jim believes Gary Holt’s team remain formidable opponents.
“It’s natural that at some stage of a season you will have a dip and they’ve still had a brilliant season. They have some very good players,” he said.
“The first thing we have to do is try to win our battles but don’t forget they have scored some quality goals, some good team goals.
“We have to try to make sure individually we get the better of them and try to go and create opportunities to win the game.”
Dundee go into the clash with controversy over plastic pitches like Livi’s rekindled by a PFA survey showing top-flight players are unified in opposition to them.
The manager is also in that camp but hasn’t forgotten that defeat at the Tony Macaroni in his first game in charge was down to what happened in the air and not the surface.
That day back in October his team conceded four goals from set pieces.
“We didn’t deal with set plays and that killed us. It was an eyeopener that day in terms of what we had to work with,” he said.
“There’s no doubt, though, the surface is an advantage. I was the manager of a team, Queen of the South, who had an artificial surface and if you train on it every day it’s a definite help.
“At the same time I’m not trying to detract from how well Livingston have done because they’ve done exceptionally well.”
Dundee are still nursing a few niggling injuries from that Killie draw, but it’s hoped everyone who was on duty then will be available. Midfielder Ethan Robson is expected to recover in time from the groin injury that forced him to miss that game.