Tony Docherty says he had no hesitation throwing new signing Malachi Boateng straight into action as Dundee saw off Bonnyrigg Rose at New Dundas Park.
The 21-year-old midfielder sealed his loan switch from Crystal Palace at half-past four on Tuesday and was on the pitch less than five hours later.
Boateng was a half-time sub with the Dark Blues held at 0-0 by the League Two side.
Within two minutes they had the lead as Zak Rudden knocked in from close range following some excellent wide play from Zach Robinson.
And Docherty was delighted with the impact from his new man.
He said: “We saw in the second half he is a really good technician.
“He showed he’s a physical presence in the middle of the pitch.
“I didn’t have any fear putting him straight in.
“I’ve watched a lot of him and worked hard to get him.
“The game was going well, though. There was no reason for taking Max Anderson off other than to get Malachi on.”
‘We’ve just got to score’
Victory saw Dundee move onto three points in Group E alongside Saturday’s opponents Airdrieonians, Inverness, and Dumbarton after the Sons defeated Caley Thistle.
Though he would have liked to see more cutting edge from his side at New Dundas Park, Docherty was pleased to rack up another win.
This, though, was his first taste of competitive football as Dundee boss.
“It’s a cup-tie and the most important thing is you win it,” he added.
“It maintains our winning run after winning every game in pre-season and we got another clean sheet.
“But we can be more clinical in front of goal.
“We were dominant in possession and created a lot of chances – we’ve just got to score.
“But as a team we are working really well to deny teams opportunities.
“We were working it side to side and getting two-v-ones in wide areas and getting full-backs advanced.
“Loads of it I’m pleased with but, at this stage of the season, we’ve hardly done any work on crossing and finishing.
“That’ll get better but I’m pleased with the mentality we are continuing to show.”
