Josh: Dee have quality, so we must do better
He fought his way to Cup glory with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Now Josh Meekings wants to finesse his way to even more with Dundee.
Meekings was a defensive rock for the Caley Jags’ Scottish Cup winning side of 2015.
His towering performances were matched across the park by a team bubbling over with battlers.
They wrote their names in the Highlanders’ history book.
That, says Meekings, ought to be the target for Dundee’s players this year.
“We can definitely do better in the cups this year,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to go on a few decent cup runs at previous clubs. It’s all about being ready on the day.
“We’ve got quality in the dressing room but you need to take that on to the pitch and show it. Ultimately, that’s up to us – we’re the only ones that can do it.
“I’ll never forget winning the Cup with Inverness. We didn’t expect it, so to go and do it was unbelievable.
“But it just shows you what you can do with a bit of togetherness.
“We weren’t the best team in the league, but we were all together – we had a will and a fight for each other.
“It was enough in the Cup that year to carry us through. Sometimes you have to take advantage of things that fall in your lap.
“It’s up to you on the day to go out and make a point for yourself.”
The Dark Blues face Dunfermline today in the Betfred Cup, determined to build on last week’s thumping 4-0 win over Stirling Albion.
Five new signings featured at Forthbank. But Meekings feels the newlook Dee are gelling quickly – and are capable of improving on the disappointments of last season.
“Things are coming together well,” he said. “All of the lads speak pretty good English. There are a couple of boys that are still learning, but they’ve settled into the group really well.
“I came here last year when there were a few new faces, but found it a really easy dressing room to come into.
“Hopefully the new boys this year feel the same and if we can connect in the dressing room, that will show on the pitch.
“We’ve got a good core to the team and with the bits of quality we’ve added, we’ll maybe go on to do a bit better this season.
“Last season we fell short of where we wanted to be, but that was down to us.
“This year it’s down to us to be better.”