The season may have only just ended but Tony Docherty is already eyeing qualification from next season’s League Cup group stage.
The Dundee boss had a “gut feeling” when deciding to make Dens Park his first job in management after decades in the game as a player, coach and assistant.
He was vindicated after leading the Dark Blues to a top-six finish on their return to the Premiership.
One area where the team did fall short came right at the start of the season during the League Cup group stage when Docherty was still piecing together his squad.
The draw for next season’s competition is at the end of this month and qualification to the knockout stages is an objective already “set in stone”.
‘Long way from Bonnyrigg Rose’
“I have not had time yet to fully reflect on this season, but I will,” said Docherty.
“Talking about objectives for next year, I went into that League Cup and I had nowhere near a full squad assembled.
“We start the Premier Sports Cup on July 13 and there is an objective right away. We never qualified for the group stages last season so there is our first objective set in stone.
“That is the way we work here – we set objectives and we work towards them.
“We have experience and proof that we have done that this year and we will do it again next season.
“If you had seen us in the first game against Bonnyrigg Rose, we are a long way from that.
“It has been a season of building but I would sum it up as being a season of real achievement and satisfaction in achieving that with a brilliant group of boys.
“There has been a real shoulder-to-the-wheel mentality that has allowed us to enjoy our success.
“There is no denying it that when I sat with you guys and everybody else at the start of the season, we were favourites to go down – absolute favourites.
“But personally, I used that as motivation. There were obstacles in front of me but again, I used that as motivation.”
Gut feeling on Dundee FC
Docherty’s decision to go his own way after years of success as an assistant to Derek McInnes was somewhat of a gamble.
He took over a Dundee side favourites for relegation and only a few players contracted for the season ahead.
But the Dee boss somehow knew Dens Park would be a good fit.
“I always said when I took up the opportunity to take this job that it was a gut feeling,” said Docherty.
“And now I would trust my gut when you get those feelings about things like that.
“I am a year into management now and I have absolutely loved it. Being an assistant manager working under Derek . . . there was no real need but I followed my gut.
“Certainly with the conversations I had with Gordon [Strachan] as well, it seemed the right time.
“That’s the biggest thing I would take from that is to go with my gut.”
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