The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dark Blues urged to keep cup edge
Defender wants repeat of showing against Dons on consistent basis
Jordon Forster insists the Dundee players need to recapture the edge they displayed against Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup on a consistent basis to give themselves an even better chance of winning promotion this season.
The Dark Blues came mighty close to causing a big upset against the Premiership Dons at Dens on Sunday.
They were leading thanks to a first half penalty from Danny Johnson – awarded after Andy Considine wrestled Forster to the ground in the Aberdeen box – as the game entered stoppage-time only to suffer last-gasp heartache as the same Dons player netted an equaliser.
That goal knocked the stuffing out of Dundee and Sam Cosgrove popped up in the first period of extra time to head home what proved to be the winner for Derek McInnes’s side.
It was a bitter pill for Dundee to swallow, but former Hibs centrehalf Forster admits James McPake’s team can still take positives from the performance.
Forster said: “When a team go out and play, let’s say, Celtic and Rangers, they up their game.
“When lesser teams – no disrespect – come and play us, they up their game. So I think against Aberdeen we upped our game. They are a good side.”
“It is now down to us to make that a week in, week out thing,” added Forster.
“I don’t think we were necessarily much better than we have been but there was that little bit more.
“Personally, I felt there was a wee bit more of an edge there.
“It is up to us to capture that and implement that into the next 34 games of the season if we want to get promoted.”
While Dundee were awarded one penalty, they had a decent case for another when the Dons’ Funso Ojo handled the ball in his own box but referee Willie Collum decided not to award a spot-kick.
Forster, though, refused to point the finger of blame at the official for getting the call wrong.
The 25-year-old said: “I am not going to come in and say we should have had a penalty. Football is a funny old game and it is difficult for referees to see everything that is going on.
“I think it was a handball but it is what it is.
“Listen, we have been beaten but we can hold our heads high and say we more than competed with a good Premiership team.”
Forster added: “Conceding in the fashion we did at the stage of the game we did was really frustrating.
“Going into extra-time we threw everything at it but we just came up a little short. “But I thought we were really good. The first 90 minutes, we did enough to win the game so it’s even more frustrating to come away with a defeat.”
Forster looked to have ensured Dundee would pull off a big cup upset when he made a superb goal-line clearance in the 84th minute.
And he admitted he had reached a point in proceedings where he believed the Dark Blues would safely see the game out.
He said: “As a defender personally, it had got to the stage in the match where I felt we were not going to concede.
“I think if you ask any defender, you get a feeling if you are going to concede if you are under the cosh.
“But I felt we were coping quite well against Aberdeen until they scored.”