Dundee hero Charlie Adam has urged the Dark Blues to seal Championship glory on Friday for their long-suffering fans.
That’s after supporters missed out on the promotion party two years ago when Adam captained the side to play-off success.
Adam & Co. saw off Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in front of just 500 home spectators as Covid rules began to be relaxed, allowing limited supporters into stadiums.
Limits will still be in place for travelling fans, though that’s more to do with the venue of Ochilview and the plans of home side Queen’s Park.
But around 1,000 Dees will be there and Adam hopes to see a promotion party in Stenhousemuir this Friday night, where a draw will be enough for Dundee to be crowned champions.
“If we had 5,000 fans at Rugby Park it would have changed it all,” Adam exclusively told Courier Sport.
“The thing is, that type of thing is all for the supporters so it was a shame we didn’t have any there.
“They have supported the club through all the bad times, including two administrations.
“They deserved it more than anyone.
“It’s maybe easy for me to say as a supporter myself but as players we are the lucky ones, we get to play for the club every week.
“These guys and girls would give anything just to play one game.
“So I really hope they enjoy Friday night. The fans are the heartbeat of the club.
“I know they haven’t got as many tickets as they would like but to get 1,000 fans at Ochilview will still be special.
“To be one of the fans being part of something special like winning a league title would be fantastic.
“I just hope if Dundee can win it, the club do something for the fans to celebrate over the weekend.”
Confidence in Kilmarnock
Adam skippered the Dark Blues to promotion after a tough season in the Championship.
Hearts were clear winners in top spot and it took a late surge from James McPake’s side to grab second place on the final day.
They finished the season with just one defeat in 10 games and roared up through the play-offs.
It was Adam’s first season at the club and just months after his mother Ellie tragically passed away.
But confidence was high thanks to the impressive form that took Dundee to the play-off final against Killie.
“What I remember is after winning the home leg, we were really confident going to Rugby Park,” Adam added.
“We really thought we would win it.
“If we stopped Kyle Lafferty, stopped the supply to him then we’d win it. We managed to do that and scored early, too, which helped.
“We were dominant after that.
“The occasion was brilliant. Winning promotion was what I wanted to do when I joined the club so to lead the team to that was great.
“It was a really emotional time.
“Hearts ran away with the league and we kind of limped over the line into the play-offs with a good run right at the end.
“But we were really confident when we got in the play-offs.”
Queen’s Park
The current Dundee squad are on a good run of unbeaten form themselves, though not as many wins as they would like.
The frustration of Friday’s stalemate with Cove Rangers and the chance of sealing the title over the weekend has passed.
But they are unbeaten in nine games and Adam reckons Queen’s Park needing to win can play into Dundee’s hands.
He said: “Dundee have made it a lot harder for themselves than they would have liked but it’s now a one-off game, winner-takes-all match for the title.
“Over the last few weeks the title race has swung both ways but I think they’ll be happy to be in the position they are. Now it’s about preparing properly.
“For the league it’s a brilliant match to finish the season.
“And for supporters it’s a great one to look forward to.
“In the Championship there are no simple games, we saw that last week against Cove Rangers.
“But I think it might be a better way to win it if they can do it at Queen’s Park.
“It’s in their own hands, no worrying about results elsewhere, it happens there and then.
“And Queen’s Park need to win so they’ll have to open up and have a go.
“Dundee have pace in attack in Zach Robinson, Alex Jakubiak and Paul McMullan so hopefully they can exploit that.
“I’ll be watching it on Friday so hopefully the boys get the job done and we see what the summer holds.”
The match will be live on BBC Scotland, with kick off at 7.45pm.
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