Striker will never forget Dee as he calls time on career

I signed and people did question that – why were Dundee signing someone about to turn 34 in November?

“That gave me the bit between my teeth to go and prove people wrong. I needed to show people I could still do it.

“I got off to a great start and it was good to prove the doubters wrong.”

MacDonald grabbed 13 goals before Christmas as the Dark Blues battled to catch up with Hamilton and Falkirk at the top of the table.

A defeat to the Bairns and then a last-gasp goal giving Alloa a point at Dens Park, however, saw Brown leave the manager’s job, with Paul Hartley coming in as his replacement.

A team-mate of Hartley’s at St Johnstone, MacDonald said: “Always remember it was John Brown who assembled that squad, it’s not easy to build a Championship-winning squad.

“When he left, I was gutted. It was difficult for a few of the boys to get their heads around, I think.

“Under Paul, we ran the first week and a lot of the boys weren’t happy! Fairly quickly (fitness coach) Tam Ritchie said, ‘We were told you were unfit but you’re definitely not, there just isn’t pace in the team’.

“We had Martin Boyle who had scorching pace and Jim McAlister could get about the pitch, too, but we had more good players with good heads and that stood us in good stead.

“The formation changed, too, and I don’t think it suited me. We’d gone from 4-4-2 to just me up on my own and I think Paul quickly realised it was beneficial for me to have someone alongside.”

After thumping a Cowdenbeath team with Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings in it thanks to goals from Craig Wighton, Boyle and McAlister and looking good for the