Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Docherty thrilled with options in Dens Park glove affair
TREVOR Carson will be back available for Dundee when they host Aberdeen next Wednesday.
The experienced stopper sat out the 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock last time out after the recurrence of a niggling knee injury.
Carson has been a key signing this season for the Dark Blues with eight clean sheets in the Premiership so far.
But if he’s not available at any point between now and the end of the season, there will be no major concern at Dens Park due to the goalkeeping options available.
For they have a very able deputy in the shape of Norwich loanee Jon McCracken. And, beyond that, experience in Adam Legzdins and young talent in Harry Sharp.
Former Hamilton Accies youngster McCracken left Dens Park back in August after Carson arrived on a permanent deal.
However, he returned in January and made his second debut for the club with a confident performance against Killie last weekend.
The display will have given Tony Docherty a decision to make come Wednesday night.
And the Dens boss is delighted to be given such a headache.
“Trevor will be available, it was just a precaution,” Docherty confirmed.
“But everyone could see by the way Jon McCracken played that I had no hesitation in putting him in. He had an outstanding game. Both in goalkeeping and in possession.
“I was really pleased.
“He made a really good save (in the second half), standing up against Marley Watkins, and that’s a sign of a really good goalkeeper when you have the confidence in a one-on-one that they are more likely to save it.
“I have that with Trevor and I have that with Jon as well.
“I’m in the fortunate position that I have two really strong firstteam goalkeepers.”
McCracken’s showing belied the fact he hadn’t played since the end of November.
An emergency loan move to Accrington Stanley ended after the goalie suffered a broken arm.
That injury then delayed his return to the Dundee matchday squad.
“He’s been out for a while,
it was a nasty wee injury for a goalkeeper,” Docherty added.
“We had to wait longer to make sure he was absolutely fine and work on the training ground to make sure his recovery was full.
“We saw that on Saturday. He’s a confident boy but also a very good goalkeeper.
“Along with a lot of things last Saturday, I was really pleased with his performance.”
Meanwhile, Scott Tiffoney is full of confidence in a Dundee shirt right now.
The attacker has played a key role in back-to-back home games for the Dark Blues – scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Ross County and playing a pivotal part in both goals against Kilmarnock.
That was after his start to life at Dens Park was punctuated by injuries as he struggled to get his career at the club up and running.
Docherty is delighted by the
form of his summer signing and how he teamed up with strike partner Curtis Main against Kilmarnock.
“I was really pleased with him. He’s a brilliant character around the dressing-room, a really hard trainer and a committed professional,” Docherty said.
“I’m glad to see him get his rewards for his efforts.
“I think he and Curtis Main put in a level of performance against
Kilmarnock that merited the team winning.
“They were hugely influential in getting us a 2-1 lead. Tiffoney got the goal and won the penalty but was ably assisted by Main.”
Tiffoney’s name doesn’t officially go down as the scorer of the opening goal after his initial shot came back off the post before going in off Killie goalkeeper Will Dennis.
However, it was all his own work. And Docherty reckons his attacker won’t rest on his laurels with big games to come in the chase for a top-six place.
“He’s a brilliant ball carrier with good technical ability and likes to get shots off around the box,” the Dens boss added.
“To do that, you need a level of confidence and that’s where Tiff is right now. I hope there’s more to come from him and I hope he thinks that, too.”