Scott Tiffoney was a man on a mission against Hearts – he had a big point to prove.
The Dundee forward ran the Jambos ragged in a superb first-half showing as he showed why he should be a starter for Tony Docherty’s side.
Tiffoney admitted he was hurt by missing out on the starting XI for the Dundee derby that kicked off the Premiership season.
It was the third game in a row he’d been named as a substitute despite some impressive showings in the early matches of the campaign.
His dismay after the derby was clearly evident in photos of Tiffoney at full time at Tannadice.
But, rather than sulk, the Dundee attacker used the disappointment to fuel him in the following week.
“That’s your life as a footballer – sometimes there’s ups, sometimes there’s downs,” the Man of the Match said after seeing off Hearts.
“Obviously last week, missing out on the derby, I wasn’t happy. But to come out and put that performance in, I was delighted.
“I think every footballer has to use disappointment to push them on a bit.
“When you’re not playing in a game as big as the Dundee derby, you just need to keep your head right, do well when you get the chance, and hopefully stay in the team.
“You can go the other way, but I like to keep my mentality the way I have and just try to prove people wrong and I think if you ask any footballer, that’s the best thing to do.”
‘I was lucky’
Tiffoney was at the heart of everything for Dundee as they racked up three goals in the first half on Saturday, eventually seeing out the game 3-1.
Manager Docherty praised his man for giving the impressive Gerald Taylor a “torrid time”.
That battle, though, did threaten to boil over when the Costa Rican flew into a wild tackle on Tiffoney but escaped a red card.
The Dundee winger admits he was lucky to avoid getting seriously hurt.
“I thought it was a straight red and I thought I was lucky to avoid the boy’s tackle,” Tiffoney explained.
“The ref didn’t really explain the decision, he just said that VAR had said it wasn’t a red card but I was quite shocked.
“I just heard him coming and it was just a quick reaction from me to get out the way, but he came in far too fast.
“He just missed me, I just managed to avoid it at the last second.”
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