Dundee don’t half make life difficult for themselves.
That’s been a well-used phrase down the years.
I was flying back from Tenerife last Friday so I didn’t see the whole game but in the bits I did see, they didn’t do enough to build sustained pressure and open up cracks in a packed Cove defence.
That will have to change this Friday.
Queen’s Park won’t sit in to the same extent as Cove but it wouldn’t surprise me if Owen Coyle’s tactics are to hit Dundee on the counter.
Yes, they need the win while a draw is good enough for Dundee, but I just can’t see the home team going gung-ho.
Keeping it at 0-0 for as long as possible, turning the pressure up and picking the right moments to commit men forward is likely to be their game plan.
And with a player as comfy on the ball as Dom Thomas and others who can pass and move quickly, it’s got a chance of success.
Although the back-story is different when you look at the money that has been invested in Queen’s, they find themselves in a similar position to Arbroath at Kilmarnock a year ago.
They’re not the ones under huge pressure.
Dundee are.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride at Dens this season but in a week like this I think Gary Bowyer’s personality and style of management will be perfect for the job they’ve got.
Calm and in control
As early as his post-match interview last Friday night, he came across as totally calm and in control.
That’s exactly what Dundee need when the stakes are so high.
Dropping into the play-offs would be a disaster.
Gary will know who’s playing well in games and training but he’s got match-winners in his squad.
Check out this match-winning screamer from Paul McMullan 😱#cinchChamp | @DundeeFC pic.twitter.com/q2E78IbyIC
— SPFL (@spfl) December 5, 2022
And could this be the night when Paul McMullan comes back in and makes himself the hero?
To go back to the top of the column, I certainly don’t expect them to take the easy route to the Championship title.
But I’m pretty confident they’ll do it the typical Dundee way!
What a night it’s going to be across our league.
The points’ total for the winner will be a low one but, for drama, it’s a fantastic finale.
That only Raith Rovers have nothing to play for speaks volume about how competitive the Championship is.
Queen’s Park and Partick Thistle will be the first two teams into the play-offs and I suspect Inverness will get the win they need against Ayr United to take the last spot.
Getting to the Scottish Cup final has probably made their task of securing promotion even harder because if they go all the way in the play-offs they’ll have a gruelling schedule.
Billy Mckay makes it three!
A lovely team move and surely that's Inverness CT into the final now!#BBCFootball #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/DsYJJx1y72
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) April 29, 2023
But their Hampden victory on Saturday will fill them with confidence on Friday night.
As they showed against Falkirk, they know how to win a big game.
For ourselves, we’d have taken our scenario at Christmas, no doubt about it.
Like Dundee, we only need a draw. But we’ll be going for the win against Hamilton.
Training was great on Tuesday night and I’m confident our last day experience of 12 months ago will stand us in good stead.
I won’t waste much time on the idea of the Scottish Cup final starting at lunchtime.
Five words are enough – get it in the bin.
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