The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ashcroft targets more goals
Defender confident Charlie Adam can help him meet Dens manager’s challenge
Dundee defender Lee Ashcroft has goals in his sights in his debut Dens campaign as he aims to lead his new team on the promotion trail.
The centre-back was quick off the mark for his new club, albeit in a friendly against Montrose at the weekend, and revealed manager James McPake has set him the task of continuing that goal threat from set-pieces when the season starts next month.
Ashcroft told Courier Sport: “The manager has already been on my case because he knows I can be a threat and wants me to score goals.
“I’ve been in this league long enough that I know set-piece goals can be deciders in games.
“Hopefully, I can add that this season and it’s good to get the confidence of scoring in a friendly so early. I want to kick on now and get more.”
Ashcroft rose highest at Links Park shortly after half-time to meet Charlie Adam’s superb delivery to put Dundee 2-1 up.
Heading into the Championship season, which starts on October 17, the 27-year-old knows the quality of balls into the box will be there from players like Adam.
“He told me at half-time (at Montrose), because there was one he put in during the first half and I was just a little late in getting up.
“He told me to get in there early and he’ll put it in.
“When you have that kind of delivery, it is easy for us to finish, If I’m not getting on the end of them, then it’s my fault.”
Having begun his career at Premiership Kilmarnock, Ashcroft later spent four seasons at Dunfermline, playing 129 league matches in that time.
And he knows more than most what makes a successful team in the Scottish second tier.
He added: “A lot of it is about consistency, being at it every week. There are so many hard games.
“It’s good to get the home form going but there are so many tough away venues like we’ve had at Montrose and Cove this week.
“Alloa and Queen of the similar to places like that.
South are
Former Dundee United striker Osman Sow started his trial with Dundee yesterday.
The Swede, released by the Tangerines after an injury-plagued spell at Tannadice, is pictured left in training with James McPake’s stars at Riverside.
And he could feature for the Dark Blues against Cove Rangers, their second friendly of the week against Paul Hartley’s men, on Saturday.
Dens boss McPake is on the lookout for another frontman, with ex-Tangerines star Nadir Ciftci also in his thoughts.
The manager recently said: “We are working away on a few things.
“We do need a striker in, that’s always been the case.
“Even when Danny (Mullen) and Alex (Jakubiak) came in, we still needed another one and there is a lot of work going on in the background to find the right one.”