Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Midfield ‘safety the pressure in
DUNDEE kid Fin Robertson has opened up on the pressu re of be i ng t he Dark Blues ‘safety valve’ as he adjusts to life as a top-team star.
It has been a whirlwind journey for the 17-year-old since bursting onto the scene in the final game of last season.
Just 16 at the time, his life was quickly turned upside down as he went from fan to first-team debut against St Mirren.
The young midfielder might not have thought he’d make such an impact at the time but, following the Dee’s relegation to the Championship, he has gone on to make 20 appearances this term.
Pulling on the dark blue jersey has been a dream for the Dundonian for as long as he can remember.
Although he’s now a bona fide senior player, Robertson says the older heads keep him in check.
“I moved through to the first-team changing-room but I still feel like one of the young boys,” he said.
“I think that helps you because, if you get too far ahead of yourself, then you become complacent and that’s when things start to go wrong. You’ve got to keep your mind right and stay focused.
“When I try to have banter, Marsh (Jordan Marshall) puts me back in my place!
“Dozza ( Graham Dorrans), Gowser (Paul McGowan) and Kano (Hemmings) – they’re experienced and Dorrans has played at the highest level in the Premier League.
“That’s what I want to do, so whenever I get the chance to learn off him and speak to him, he’s given me good advice.
“If I’ m training and I do something wrong, he might come over and speak to me to tell me how to do other things to improve myself.
“Christophe Berra has been another good addition and, for me, it’s just more advice I can get off people.
“Having all of them can only be a good thing, surrounding myself with experienced players that have done it at the highest level.
“It’s just all the little things you learn off them you wouldn’t know through 18s football – like how to see a game out. They’ve done it for years and years so it can help my game a long way.”
As much as he’s learning from the Dark Blues’ first-team men, Robertson has a very important job of his own.
He describes himself as the Dee’s ‘safety valve’ but is open to trying new roles as he aims to open his account for the club.
“My first job is to defend the goal but, if I get forward, I want to get more shots away,” he added. “I’m more like the safety valve and that lets Dozza and Gowser go to work. If I get the chance to shoot I’d fancy my chances.
“I’m open to trying new positions but when the gaffer puts me in there I’ve got to do my job and try to stop goals.”
As for playing at Dens, he can handle the heat and the added expectation which comes with being a fan and local lad.
“I like the pressure of knowing you have to perform,” he asserts.
“If there’s no pressure then there’s no real point i n doing anything.
“At the start I felt a bit more like a fan and got invested in it that way but now I’m a player it’s more about being focused on getting the job done. I can’t let the fan side of it affect how I play.