After the disappointing defeat against Rangers at Ibrox last week in the Scottish Cup, Dundee would have been looking to make a big statement on Saturday in the league when they faced Hearts at Dens.
Ultimately that never happened with the Dark Blues losing out to a solitary Jamie Walker goal.
However, Dundee did enough to secure at least a draw out of the game especially on the balance of chances created in the second half.
Paul Hartley’s side also deserve great credit for the way they reacted to last week’s hammer blow.
Dundee were highly fancied to go to Ibrox and progress into the semi-finals of the cup but instead they were torn apart by a rampant Rangers side.
The nature of the loss could have had a hugely-damaging effect on the squad’s morale but the Dark Blues gave a good account of themselves against the Jambos.
They will though have to address the problem of switching off after the referee blows his whistle to start the game. After being caught cold last week in just 13 seconds, it seemed inconceivable that they would do something similar against Hearts but they did and were lucky that Walker did not take advantage of the gift.
Dundee will, of course, be determined to get back to winning ways in next week’s derby over the road at Tannadice and while United are fighting for their Premiership lives, the Dark Blues also have plenty to play for, most importantly a return to the top six.