Legzdins is thrilled to satisfy a fan’s request
CHAMPIONSHIP INVERNESS CT 0 DUNDEE 1
IT’S that time of year again — and for Adam Legzdins it is starting to feel a lot like Christmas 2020. Dundee took off over the festivities in season 20/21, grasping three victories on the trot including a January 2 triumph over champions-to-be Hearts. There was no looking back from the Dark Blues as they soared in form, confidence and cohesion before claiming a Premiership spot through the play-offs. After a gritty, ground-out victory in Inverness built on solid defending and one moment of inspiration through Paul McMullan’s 26th-minute wonder strike, goalkeeper Legzdins felt nostalgic. While he is refusing to get carried away, the current squad’s progress — bolstered by the fact Saturday’s win was their first ever league triumph in Inverness in 16 visits dating back almost 20 years — has provided hope Dundee can again give their fans something to shout about. Legzdins, 36, revealed: ‘A fan, shall we say a more “experienced” gentleman, shouted over to me in the warm-up about our lack of wins here. I thought: “No pressure!”. ‘He said he had been coming up here for a long time with no joy. It was all the encouragement I needed.
‘We appreciate the fans travelling in such good numbers at this time of year. We could have been better at times and put the game to bed, but to go through difficult periods in a game and show that kind of resilience and togetherness was pleasing. ‘We earned a clean sheet and limited them to very few shots on target, if any.
‘It was a real team effort — the organisation and doggedness you need in this league.’ Defeat stretched Caley Thistle’s deficit to leaders Ayr to nine points, eight behind second-top Dundee, with nine players again sidelined by injury on Saturday. Yet the Highlanders had much more of the ball than Dundee and the decisive goal came out of the blue as McMullan sliced inside from the left, towards the angle of the box and unleashed a brilliant strike high beyond the reach of Cammy MacKay. Caley Thistle defender Max Ram said: ‘Once we get more bodies back, we can hopefully turn it around. We just need to keep our noses in the race and hopefully the results will come.’