The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Point to prove over ‘freak’ derby defeat
Dundee defender Jordon Forster has branded their traumatic Tannadice derby defeat a “freak” result, writes Ian Roache.
The Dark Blues will welcome city rivals Dundee United to Dens on Friday looking to repair some of the damage caused by that 6-2 loss down the road on August 30.
The good thing for Forster and his colleagues is that confidence is sky high at the club following a deserved 2-1 win over Morton that made it three victories in a row for the Dark Blues.
If they can make it four out of four by seeing off United it will close the gap on the Championship-leading Tangerines to just three points.
The stage is set, therefore, for a hugely significant fixture and it is one Dundee are desperate to win.
Centre-back Forster said: “When you look back at the last derby it was a bit of a freak one.
“It is never nice to concede that amount of goals in any game and lose like that, let alone do it in a derby.
“But it’s happened and we need to accept that.
“We’ve got a point to go and prove this time.
“It’s been the perfect set-up for us with these three wins under our belt.
“Over the last four or five weeks, when we have playing really well for 60 minutes but maybe weren’t on top of the game, we started to struggle a little bit.
“But I now think you are finding that we have found a way to dominate matches for longer spells,” added the 26-year-old former Hibs man.
“We are managing to still stay in the game even if we are not on top and see things out a little bit better.
“Overall, our form has been great over the past week with nine points from three games,” he said.
“Now we are looking forward to the big one on Friday.”
One man who is bound to be a key figure for the Dark Blues in the derby is midfielder Graham Dorrans, who laid on the goals for Kane Hemmings and Jamie Ness against Morton.
It was a man-of-the-match performance and Forster is backing him to stand out from the crowd again when he faces United.
The defender said: “He has been really good since he came here.
“He really is different class,” he said.
“He brings that extra bit of composure to the team.
“I think he has joined in well with the rest of the boys and has settled in well.
“We are about to see the best of him.
“However, he has played in a lot of big games in his career.
“Of course, this will be a test for him. It would be a test for anyone.
“I am sure he will have the tools in the locker to deal with the pressure that comes with the derby game.”