It may not be pretty, it may not set the juices flowing for many football fans but astroturf is here to stay.
For plenty, that’s a bad thing.
For Dundee, not so much.
Their record on the plastic is very, very good in recent seasons.
Why is that relevant right now?
Because they have two Championship clashes on the bounce coming up on astroturf.
First, Saturday at Hamilton Accies and then Tuesday at Cove Rangers.
That’s after a comfortable 3-0 success at The New Saints on a Shropshire astro last Friday night.
Impressive record
Including that game, Dundee’s record since relegation from the Premiership in 2019 is impressive.
In 18 matches against the likes of Livingston, Kilmarnock, Queen of the South, Alloa and Raith Rovers, Dundee have won a massive 12 of their 18 matches on astroturf.
In doing so, they have racked up an aggregate score of 34-14 as well.
If you miss out last season’s double defeat at Livi in the top flight, the Dark Blues have lost just once on an artificial surface as a Championship club since 2019 – that came during an injury crisis at Raith Rovers in 2021.
Add to all that is the fact Dundee have won two and drawn one of their last three trips to New Douglas Park.
And they’ve never lost at Cove Rangers either.
However, they have also never won at the Balmoral in a competitive match – their one and only match there finished 0-0 in 2019.
Stats can be misleading sometimes…
Evolution
But when the numbers are as broad as Dundee’s record on astroturf in the past three seasons, there is definitely a pattern.
The squad hasn’t changed a huge amount in recent seasons.
Since relegation it’s been evolution rather than revolution, even with three managers in the job during that time.
It’s clear this Dundee squad are very happy on the plastic.
They showed that again at The New Saints.
I thought the Welsh champions were a decent outfit and on another day could have been a problem for the Dark Blues.
However, Gary Bowyer’s side showed their quality in the second half and took the game away from their hosts.
That result has got to have picked up the confidence across the squad.
Good for Anderson but where is Robertson?
Injured players came back, players who have been out of the picture got a run out.
It was great to see Max Anderson finish off the game with a goal, that will do his confidence wonders.
GÔL | GOAL ⚽️
Anderson yn gorffen yn daclus 🎯 | Anderson finishes with aplomb 🎯@tnsfc 0-3 @DundeeFC pic.twitter.com/dbo2CwOfPV
— Sgorio ⚽️ (@sgorio) September 23, 2022
Worryingly, though, there was no game time for Fin Robertson.
Bowyer does, however, have a selection headache at Hamilton.
It’s a big game for the Dark Blues to put that Inverness defeat firmly behind them.
And a chance to keep up their fantastic record on plastic.
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