Star man Harkins’ haul brightens day for doubting O’Dea
IT could be safely said that Darren O’Dea has seen it all in a career that has taken him from the Scottish top flight with Celtic to Ukraine, India and then back again.
But the Irish defender admitted he’s never experienced anything quite like the transformation he witnessed in new Dundee teammate Gary Harkins on Saturday.
Having failed to be impressed by Harkins during his first training sessions with the Dark Blues, O’Dea confessed he was rubbing his eyes in disbelief as the 31-year-old midfielder almost single-handedly dismantled Partick Thistle in a startling first half at Firhill.
With Kevin Thomson having now left the club and James McPake out for the rest of the season, Harkins was handed the captain’s armband by Paul Hartley and duly led by example.
The ex-Jags star scored two goals and had a hand in two others before the interval, leaving O’Dea to admit that first impressions can often be misleading.
‘The one thing I’ve learned is that he is definitely not a training player — he has been shocking all week in training,’ said the 28-year-old Dubliner after his own assured debut which Hartley described as ‘different class’.
‘He was our best player by quite a bit. He obviously has that balance and touch for a No 10. He also has a physical presence, so he can be a No 9 at times. He is very difficult to play against.’
While talisman Harkins worked his magic, boss Hartley’s overall game plan worked a treat.
Dundee intentionally sat off Thistle before gaining possession and punishing them in clinical fashion with a win that pushed them into the top six away from a clutch of clubs struggling to escape the relegation play-off slot. ‘We were on fire when we started the game,’ continued O’Dea (right). ‘We handled the conditions much better than they did. They are a very good passing side and they played to that early on.
‘We knew they would but our plan was to sit off, let them play — at your peril, in those conditions — and every time we won the ball, we looked like we were going to score.
‘In the second half, it was a case of making the decisions whether to go forward and get another goal or just to keep possession. I thought we were very professional.
‘When you have players like we do, it is up to defenders to do their jobs because we have enough players who can win us games.’
None more so than Harkins, who was an all-action hero while the Jags were frozen like statues. First he was tripped in the box by Partick defender Liam Lindsay, allowing Kane Hemmings to fire home the opener from the spot. Then when Thistle goalkeeper Tomas Cerny spilled a cross, it was Harkins who was first on the scene to slot home.
By the 15th minute it was all over. The Dark Blues skipper slipped the ball to Greg Stewart and, in his trademark style, the striker curled a great shot into the far corner. David Amoo’s header gave Alan Archibald’s side hope but Harkins fired into the top corner for 4-1 eight minutes before the break. Lindsay’s day worsened when he received a second yellow card for a trip on Stewart before Kris Doolan’s close-range finish proved only a consolation for the hosts. Considering Thistle’s previous run of one loss in eight matches, it was a surprisingly poor display.
Dundee simply coped with the conditions better.
O’Dea is used to extreme weather, having withstood the cold in Ukraine while playing for Metalurh Donetsk and sampled the heat of India during a spell at Mumbai City.
So there was little chance the snow in Glasgow was going to make him regret his return to Scotland after signing with Dundee until the end of the season.
‘It’s good to be back in fantastic weather in Scotland,’ said the former Parkhead centre-half with a grin.
‘It was cold in Ukraine but we had fantastic summers. I have played in worse than that today. It was an interesting game but we fully deserved the three points.
‘Listen, I’m made for the cold — we did pre-season in Dubai and I nearly melted, so it’s refreshing to be back in the cold weather.’
The lines on the pitch had to be cleared at half-time and, given their handsome position, Dundee were in no mood to see the match abandoned. It could have led to an awkward decision for referee Euan Anderson.
‘The ref would have needed security to get out of the stadium if he had tried to call it off!’ added O’Dea.
Defender Dan Seaborne’s response to whether Jags team-mate Lindsay deserved a second yellow card summed up their afternoon.
‘I had snow all over my face, so I couldn’t see much,’ he said.
‘Both (yellow cards) are probably harsh. Maybe one yellow card for the two (challenges) but the referee has kept his game consistent all the way through.
‘An off day can go into two or three weeks, so we have to look at that (display), analyse it and not just think it is a tiny little blip.’