The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Mcpake dismisses fears over young Dee star Cameron after Pars loss.
Cameron was let down by senior players in defeat to Pars, insists Mcpake
The Dundee senior pros let Lyall Cameron down in the teenage midfielder’s first league start last week and not the other way around, according to manager James Mcpake.
The Dens Park boss insisted that there are no concerns about how the 17-yearold will cope with being brought off at half-time in the dunfermline games even days ago.
And he has reiterated the point that his East End Park start had been earned.
“Lyall was in the team for the Ayr United game (that was postponed),” said Mcpake.
“He deserved his chance 100%. I took him off at Dunfermline to protect him because we weren’t at the races. The senior players let us down, not Lyall Cameron.
“He’ll bounce back, I’ve no worries. He phoned me on the Sunday and asked to play in the Reserve League Cup on Monday and he was great again.
“He’ll have a fantastic career, as will Finlay Robertson and Josh Mulligan.
“I’d rather take the hit on Friday night than the kid. He was far from our worst player and didn’t deserve to be part of that. It got better in the second half but we were 2-0 down by then.”
Mcpake, whose bid to land Hibs youngster Fraser Murray on loan has reportedly collapsed, has backed Shaun Byrne to be a big player for Dundee in the last few months of the season.
The former Dunfermline and Livingston midfielder has been in and out of the team so far this campaign but there is no doubting his pedigree.
“He was outstanding for us in training this week,” said Mcpake.
“He’s a proven player at this level and the one above. We’ve got belief in him.
“I was desperate to bring him in during the summer. You ask yourself as coaches, ‘Have we given him a long enough run in the team?’ We don’t pass the buck.
“How do we get the Shaun Byrne that Livingston had, that Motherwell wanted to sign in the summer and that another team tried to take off me the other day? That’s who we need.”
Dundee are facing a “form team” in Morton tomorrow, with their draw at Tannadice last weekend all the recent evidence his players need to warn them about the challenge that faces them at Cappielow.
“In our two games against them they’ ve been really tough to breakdown ,” said Mcpake.
“And that was the case for United on Saturday. If they’d seen that out they’d have been the first team to win there.
“They’ re very well drilled but they have athreat upfront as well. They’re in better form than us and we need to make sure we get ourselves right.
“They’ll test us with balls in our box. They do what we’ve not been able to do to other teams – make you defend a lot.”
Meanwhile, Dundee’s postponed Championship match against Ayr United has been recheduled. The teams will battle it out at Dens Park on Tuesday March 10 (7.45 KO) after the original fixture was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
● Former Dundee favourite Gary Harkins, 35, has left Partick Thistle by mutual consent