Friday is nothing to fear for Dark Blues
SAYS KANE HEMMINGS
IF an early statement of intent looks like it’s already been made by Dundee United in the title race, Kane Hemmings is only too eager to dispel the notion that Dundee are approaching Friday’s derby a little nervously.
all the momentum looks like it’s with the Tannadice men after they made it three Championship wins out of three following Lawrence Shankland’s two goals against Dunfermline at East End Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Dark Blues, by contrast, were suffering the anxieties of a goalless home draw with Inverness Caley Thistle.
James McPake’s men will make the short walk to Tannadice for this week’s televised battle knowing that defeat would leave them seven points behind their promotion rivals — and the first month of the season would still not be complete.
But striker Hemmings has warned that it would be folly for anyone to write off the Dens Park side at this very early juncture.
‘They (United) are in red-hot form, they’ve won their first three games and they’ll probably go into the derby expecting to put us to bed,’ said Hemmings, who returned to Dundee from notts County earlier this month for his second spell on Tayside.
‘But we are not bothered about that. We just have to take care of ourselves and we’ll go there with a game plan that we know can win us the match.
‘We will be confident that we can do so. We’re only three games into the season and there are 33 left. There’s a long way to go.
‘If we win on Friday, we will only be a point behind them again.
‘First and foremost, we will recover and then put the work in this week to get ready.
‘It’s one of those games that it is a given that performances and the tempo will be raised due to the importance of it. It will take care of itself.’
Dundee were hoping for a morale-boosting win ahead of Friday’s showdown, but found John Robertson’s Inverness a tough nut to crack as they failed to hit the heights of the previous weekend when they bravely lost to aberdeen in extra-time in their Betfred Cup last-16 tie.
Hemmings, who won a move to Oxford United in 2016 on the back of a prolific goal spree for Dundee, knows what it’s like to savour glory in the derby.
‘I played in a lot of derbies over the years and it’s a very good one to come out on top in,’ he said.
‘as for Saturday against Inverness, the heat was draining. You do your work and you try not to let it affect you, but it was warm out there.
‘It took its toll on the pitch a little bit as well and it started to get sticky.
‘So, yes, the heat was a factor but we still needed to be a little bit better than we were as well.
‘Inverness have players who when they win the ball back they are good, direct and they can run at people. Credit to them, they came here with a game plan and in a sense it kind of paid off.
‘They didn’t get the win but they caused us problems.
‘We will be confident, though, that we can lift our game.’
Meanwhile, Caley Thistle striker James Keatings insists Robertson’s side are well equipped to mount their own title challenge.
‘Since I have come here, the manager has put that on us straight away, to show we are a good team and just as good as the favourites,’ he added.
‘I feel we have a good bunch of boys and I don’t think we have shown how good we actually are yet.’