You won’t find many Dundee fans claiming that Jordan Marshall is their club’s best player.
But he is crucial part of James McPake’s team.
And if James was making a list of who he could least afford to lose at an important stage of the season to injury, Jordan would be very near to the top.
That’s a testament to the way he has played at left-back this season.
He’s a steady Eddie who does exactly what you want from a full-back in the Championship – gets up and down all day, rarely lets you down defensively and is comfortable on the ball moving forward.
But Jordan’s importance to Dundee is also down to the fact that there isn’t a natural like-for-like replacement at Dens.
Dundee have got plenty of strikers, midfielders and centre-backs. They’re covered at right-back as well but this is arguably their one area where there isn’t strength in depth.
Fingers crossed Jordan came off at East End Park in time but usually a hamstring injury would mean that his season would be over at this late stage.
So, it would probably be a case of James continuing with Cammy Kerr at left-back and Christie Elliott down the right.
Losing a natural left-footer on that flank is far from ideal.
As for the game against Dunfermline, Dundee were the stronger team and it seemed to be crying out for Charlie Adam to come off the bench and make the difference.
That he was an unused sub doesn’t mean there’s a problem.
James wouldn’t be cutting his nose off to spite his face. He knows Charlie is a game-changer.
But everybody’s recovery from Covid is different and Charlie was out of the team for a while.
Dundee’s play-off place looks very strong – and I still fancy them to edge Raith for second spot – and those play-offs are the bigger picture.
That’s when their season is on the line and that’s when James will want Charlie to be at his freshest and best.
The news that Micky Mellon could be a target for Doncaster Rovers is interesting.
If he does go in the summer, I think you’ll see a different type of appointment as the next Dundee United manager.
I certainly wouldn’t be expecting candidates like Steve McClaren and Malky Mackay to be in the running this time.
Football clubs still don’t know when fans will be back in their grounds so finances are going to be tight for a while yet.
If United have got a strong crop of young players coming through, it makes sense that they use them.
Montrose having to play an away league match on Thursday night and then a cup tie at Kilmarnock on Saturday morning really is peak Scottish football.
In normal circumstances you’d have given Stewart Petrie’s team a chance at Rugby Park.
The short turnaround has effectively scuppered their hopes of an upset.
I know that we’re in unprecedented times – and Prince Philip’s funeral is another unexpected factor that has been thrown into the mix – but more could have been done to make it a level playing field for the part-time teams.
I’m really disappointed for the management team at Forfar that it hasn’t worked out.
Malcy, Foxy and Barry have got such a strong bond with the club and nobody could have been more committed.
I don’t know what it’s been like behind the scenes but what I can say is that sacking Dick Campbell a few years ago still looks like the mistake that has been the catalyst for everything that has followed.
