Adam realises boyhood dream with return to top flight and Dundee derby

Dundee supporters have been blessed by fellow fansin-boots delivering significant moments in recent times.

From Craig Wighton’s cameo when relegating Dundee United five years ago to Charlie Adam, ably supported by Cammy Kerr, leading the side back into the top flight this week.

Adam, the inspirational skipper, has described winning promotion with his boyhood side as the most satisfying moment of his career.

This, remember, is someone who has won the League Cup with Liverpool and collected 26 caps for his country. Eleven years ago this month he skippered Blackpool to the Premier League while also scoring a stunning goal in the 3-2 play-off final win over Cardiff City. He was playing in the English Championship as recently as June.

And get he believes leading Dundee back into the Premiership tops the lot. Adam has not played in the Scottish top flight since featuring for Rangers in an Old Firm derby in 2008.

“This is the best,” said Adam. “I dreamed of playing for my boyhood club in the top division and we’ve managed to get them there. It probably won’t sink in until I sober up… when I’ll realise what’s going to happen. Right now I’m just dying for next season’s fixtures to come out!

“I can’t wait,” he added. “I’m looking forward to it and I’m excited. We have a few big challenges ahead. Now that we’re in the division, I think that this will be the best Premiership for a long, long time. All the big boys are in it – plus we’ll have the return of the Dundee derby. It’s going to be great.”

Adam was speaking like the fan he is. Next to him Kerr, another player who watched Dundee from the stands as a boy, was drinking in the moment – he was chided by manager James Mcpake for celebrating with a low-alcohol cider. “It should be something stronger than that,” said the manager, who has made stressed the importance of having die-hard Dundee fans in and around the first team squad on numerous occasions recently. Max Anderson, who won the club’s young player of the year award, is another local boy while Fin Robertson, the highly-rated teenager who has been injured for much of the season, grew up supporting Dundee.

Kerr and Adam even linked up for the first goal, scored by Jordan Mcghee, which sent Dundee on their way in the first leg against Kilmarnock. Mcpake’s side never looked like losing the initiative in the tie and completed the mission with Monday's 2-1 victory at Rugby Park.

Adam had delivered what he promised at the start of the season He savoured the prospect of tasting Premiership football with Dundee – something that was far from guaranteed just a few short weeks ago.

He has one more year left of his contract. “I am hoping there’s life left in the old legs,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to see the great players we had when [owners] Peter and Jimmy Marr put a lot of money into the football club," he said. "But my biggest hero was the midfielder, Iain Anderson, who was my favourite when I was growing up.”

Asked if he, too, was now a Dundee hero, Adam said: “It’s not about me, it’s about the whole club.”