Dundee won’t be fooled by Alloa Athletic’s recent poor form when they face the Wasps tomorrow night, says boss James McPake.
Peter Grant’s side have struggled since the Championship restarted last month, losing their opening two fixtures.
The part-timers picked up victories over Airdrieonians and Edinburgh City in the Betfred Cup but fell to a 1-0 reverse on the opening day of the league campaign at Morton before being thumped 4-1 at home by in-form Dunfermline.
McPake, though, expects a tough task for his side at the Indodrill Stadium.
“Alloa gave us one of our hardest games last season at Dens Park near the start of the season where they were excellent,” he said.
“I’m not being kidded by the fact Alloa have lost all their games in the league.
“I know Peter Grant very well, I have huge respect for him. He’ll be working ever so hard to get it right there.
“They will do because they are a dangerous team in this league. We saw last year Dundee United losing and drawing there.
“Peter has a style of football that is very attractive on the eye and we have to find a way to stop them and impose ourselves on the game.”
The Dark Blues themselves are desperate to get back to winning ways after letting a one-goal lead slip at home to Raith Rovers on Saturday.
McPake admits a win, a draw and a heavy loss aren’t the opening three results he was looking for from his team but expects better to come from his side, starting on Friday.
“We aren’t far away,” the Dens boss added.
“I think in parts of the Raith game last Saturday we played some of the best stuff we’ve played in a long time.
“Probably since the last time we were at Alloa last year (where they won 3-0).
“Some of the stuff going through Charlie Adam and Graham Dorrans was great, we were really lively and zipping it about.
“I genuinely don’t think we are far away.
A first competitive goal at home for @Charlie26Adam #thedee pic.twitter.com/eymsUb2NlE
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) November 1, 2020
“There is loads to work on and we have been working on it. We will continue that because it is hard work that will bring us success.
“For the first 65 minutes against Raith I was thinking ‘I’m liking this, it’s good to watch’ and you could see the things we’d been working on.
“Then we lost the goal from the set-play – we don’t lose that goal and we are talking about how good the performance was.
“But, at this football club, if you don’t win the game you get criticised.
“Against Raith we did enough to win the game comfortably in my opinion.
“We played better on Saturday than we did in the game we won against Morton.
“It is fine margins in football.”