Tit for tat – start as you mean to go on for title race, please

DUNDEE United pulled one out of the bag when they beat off stiff competition for Lawrence Shankland’s signature – now Dundee have hit back with a real coup of their own in Kane Hemmings.

And I just hope this is the way it goes all season between the two clubs. Hit and counter-hit, on the pitch, and off it, to give us a belter of a Championship title race.

Both club managers have been quick to say they are only focusing on themselves and what they are doing.

With these two sides, though, I just don’t think that’s possible – especially when there’s only one automatic promotion place up for grabs.

It may be the second tier, a division neither set of fans want to be in, but the clubs are where they are so we just have to put up with it.

And I do expect the Dark Blues and the Tangerines to be the top two in the table come May.

United have started really well and, though Dundee haven’t been too fluid as yet, they’ve got four points from six from two difficult games to kick off the campaign.

I haven’t seen anything from the other teams in the Championship in the opening two weeks to suggest they can keep up with the two from the City of Discovery.

Dunfermline started like a train in the Betfred and the first half against

James McPake’s side but have drawn their opening two matches. That one against Dundee and then at Queen of the South on Saturday. The less said about Queens’ chances the better . . .

Inverness were poor against both city clubs in recent weeks, Partick didn’t look up to much to me against

United on Friday and Morton have been up and down already.

Ayr are really well set up and have good players but they’ll struggle to get the goals they need without

Shankland.

And that’s where Hemmings can come in for Dundee.

He’s obviously a goalscorer and

I’ve no doubt he’ll grab a tidy haul in this league – on Saturday I thought he looked a class above Championship level.

More than that, though, there was a noticeable lift around the club on

Thursday when he signed and on

Saturday on his second debut.

He’s an infectious character and will be a massive impact on and off the park that could make the difference for Dundee this season.

The team as a whole is still a work in progress – they don’t want to be playing catch-up to the Tangerines as the season goes on, though.

If Hemmings starts firing them in, however, that progress might just come quicker and, as a neutral, I can enjoy a ding-dong title race between the two clubs.

Kane Hemmings has rejoined former team-mate James McPake at Dens.