The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Byrne hoping to give Dee fans something to shout about at home
Shaun Byrne admits he was blown away by the backing from the Dundee travelling support on Friday night at Dunfermline – now, he is hoping to give the fans even more to shout about at Dens this weekend, writes Neil Robertson.
The Dark Blues came from behind to draw 2-2 with the Pars, roared on by 1,400 supporters who had journeyed down from the City of Discovery.
Byrne is hoping Dundee can go a step further against Ayr United on Saturday and show that Dens is a venue to be feared for opposing teams this season.
The 26-year-old former Livingston and Dunfermline player said: “The first home game is important.
“Of course, you want to win every game but I think the home record will be big this season.
“If you want to be successful, you need a good home record.
“We are looking forward to playing in front of our fans.
“Ayr have a lot of good players and did well last year.
“They were up the top of the league for a lot of the season.
“So we know it will be a tough game and we need to be at it to get anything.”
Byrne signed for Dundee this summer but he is well aware that after last season’s dismal campaign that culminated in relegation, bridges need to be rebuilt with the supporters to bring back the feelgood factor.
He added: “The fans were unbelievable at Dunfermline. I’m not used to playing in front of away fans like that, to be honest.
“They came out in their numbers on a Friday night and the backing they gave us really helped us push on to get that equaliser and try to get the winner.
“We want to get the feelgood factor back with the fans.
“We are a new team so it’s about building on what we have done in pre-season.
“We want the fans to be proud of the team. That’s something the manager has said – he wants the fans to be proud of us when we walk off the park on a Saturday.”
That boss, James McPake, admitted he was pleased with the way his new-look team bounced back at East End Park – in sharp contrast to what would have probably happened last season in a similar situation.
McPake said: “It was definitely a point gained.
“Games like that, you learn a lot about people. They showed a lot of character and that’s not easy when you have been in a team that’s used to losing games and you find yourself 2-0 down.
“It is a real test of your character and I think they showed that.”
McPake added: “It was a poor first 45 but we recovered and that’s the big positive we have taken into this week.
“The bonus that came out of the game was that at 2-0 down, a Dundee team in the last five minutes or so from last season would have been out of the game – no doubt.
“That’s just what happens when you are bottom of the league and you are chasing. Goals are hammer blows.
“But we showed that we had a bit of resilience in that game.”
Twitter: @C_NRobertson