Dorrans’ delight is tempered by defeat

NEW Dundee signing Graham Dorrans relished being back in the thick of the action, just five days short of a year since his last outing for Rangers. The 32-year-old replaced Shaun Byrne in the 56th minute but couldn’t prevent James McPake’s side losing to Morton defender Peter Grant’s late first-half goal. Dorrans, who joined the Dark Blues on Friday, has missed the thrill of playing after a knee injury restricted him to just three appearances for Rangers last season. Once fit he found himself frozen out of manager Steven Gerrard’s plans and was freed last month. Asked if he had spoken with Gerrard before leaving, Dorrans replied ‘No, but I had to be playing,’ said the 32-year-old. ‘It wasn’t easy to leave but it was the right call. ‘As much as it was tough quitting Rangers, it was good to get out there, although the result was disappointing.’ Dorrans’ relationship with his former Livingston team-mate McPake was what convinced him to move to Dundee. ‘I’ve got ambitions to get back as high as possible,’ he added. ‘If it’s the Premiership with this club, great, but I still want to play at as high a level as I can.’ Morton match-winner Grant powered home a header from Nicky Cadden’s free-kick to seal the points in first-half stoppage time and took as much pleasure from the clean sheet as his goal. Grant said: ‘I’m happy to contribute with the goal. The biggest thing was the win but getting a clean sheet for me is also very important.’