Dundee’s second-half display against Hearts is a sign they have learned a big lesson from last season.
That’s the view of manager Tony Docherty after seeing his side keep the Jambos at bay after roaring into a 3-0 half-time lead.
Last season, the Dark Blues let a number of points slip from winning positions despite finishing in the top six.
That fragility when in front is something Docherty has been determined to remedy ahead of this season.
And he is encouraged by what his team showed when the pressure was on at Dens Park.
Particularly after letting a 2-0 and then a 2-1 lead slip against Hearts last season with the Jambos winning both 3-2.
‘Progress’
“Last year, we’d come under a wee bit of criticism about holding out leads, particularly against Hearts after the game where we went 2-0 up,” Docherty said.
“But standing at the side of the pitch I didn’t get that feeling, even when they scored.
“Obviously, after half-time, they’re going to throw everything at it like they did but I had a real sense that I wasn’t worried. I thought the team had it.
“I thought they managed the game extremely well.
“They showed the experience of last year that we can see out games when we take that lead.
“I felt really, really comfortable, and more importantly, speaking to players, they felt comfortable on the pitch.
“If anything, we still looked a real goal threat.
“If we’d scored that fourth it could be anything then, but I think even when we were defending we were still picking off chances.
“We managed the game out really well so that was a really comforting feeling from Saturday.
“For me, it’s progress and it’s improvement.
“That’s what we’re looking to do year upon year, game upon game.
“We’re looking to improve and develop, and that’s something that’s really noticeable on Saturday.
“That’s the side that we’ve developed. Maybe last year we were a bit naive, but I thought Saturday we managed the game extremely well.”
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