The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dark Blues bid to end doomed season on high
As a senior player, the former Hearts man admits Dee have not done enough to keep their place in the top flight.
“It’s been really disappointing, not what we expected,” he added.
“Especially coming off the high of last season and knowing the quality we have in the group. We have all tried our hardest but we just came up short.
“Some games we should have put away and other times we’ve given away cheap goals.
“There’s been a bit of bad luck and a bit of everything.
“It’s not been what we expected or what we envisaged as a team.
“We fell short in lots of areas and we’ll all have a look at ourselves over the summer, come back next season with new ideas and ready to go.”
Dundee need six points from six this week with St Johnstone falling to two defeats. There is also the small matter of a sevengoal swing needed across those four matches. After a run of 11 league matches without a win, the odds are certainly not with the Dens Park side.
However, McGhee wants to end the season on a high, even if survival is out of their hands.
“We have two games to go and we know we need something outrageous for it to happen,” the 25-yearold admitted.
“But we need to approach the Hibs game to pick up the three points we’ve been desperately needing over the last 10 games.
“We need to get that winless run off our back and to do it at home in the last home game of the season would be good. When you get beat in football it is never nice, especially in the situation we are in.
“But if we can put on a performance and get three points then you never know what can happen. Strange things have happened in football but we know we have a mountain to climb.”
Meanwhile, boss Mark McGhee admits his side “look doomed” in their plight to avoid relegation from the Premiership.
The Dark Blues need perfection from their final two league matches, two wins over Hibs and Livingston and St Johnstone to lose to Aberdeen and Hibs. That’s after a lacklustre display in Paisley on Saturday saw them fall limply to a poor 2-0 defeat to St Mirren.
McGhee says his team have to ignore their league position and go for it tonight against Hibs.
“I would rather go down by a one goal than nine points difference, so if it’s going to happen we have to make sure it’s by the skin of our teeth,” the experienced boss said.
“That’s the least we owe the supporters and until last weekend I was convinced that’s what we were doing. Last weekend was a setback because it didn’t look like turning into anything other than it ended up being.
“We look doomed now because I can’t see St Johnstone losing both games and, looking at Saturday, you can’t imagine we’re going to win both games.
“It’s looking a bit hopeless, but we have to convince ourselves that’s not the case.
“We have to look shortterm and just focus on this game and trying to win it.
“We have to make sure we turn up and the supporters who are at the game see a team who are trying.”
The Dark Blues may have Ian Lawlor available once more after he missed the last two fixtures with illness.
He missed out on a place on the bench as Harry Sharp kept goal with Thomas Welsh backup.
Boss McGhee revealed there’s been more than just his goalkeeper affected.
“There has been a bit of illness around. Obviously Ian Lawlor had it, then Simon Rusk was in his bed for three days last week too.
“Danny Mullen has got a wee bit of it this morning but nothing too bad.
“He will miss training but we hope he will be fine for the game.”
Hibs, meanwhile, will be missing captain Paul Hanlon, who is preparing to undergo knee surgery. Scott Allan is out again due to injury, along with Chris Cadden (thigh).
Caretaker manager David Gray admits he has no idea whether longserving midfielder Allan – who had a loan spell at Dens under Neil McCann in 2017 – has kicked his last ball for the Hibees.
Gray said: “He’s had some challenges with his health and things like that, which is never easy.
“He’d have liked to have played more football than he has, but that’s football sometimes – it’s all about opinions.
“At the moment he’s not available for selection.”