Dundee were second best at Celtic Park on Wednesday night.
However, there was a key aspect to be proud of for the Dark Blues.
The engine-room of the Dundee side were academy graduates.
Josh Mulligan returned to the side, joining his ex-youth team mates Lyall Cameron and Fin Robertson in the centre of the park.
Manager Tony Docherty was pleased with the application of his side at a very tough venue.
And specifically pointed to the trio of young Dees in the centre of the park taking on a former Dundee star in Luke McCowan.
“I was really pleased to see that there were three academy graduates playing in the middle of the pitch in Fin Robertson, Josh Mulligan and Lyall Cameron,” he said.
“For a football club like Dundee, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about developing young players and improving them.
“Also playing against them was Luke McCowan, someone that we’ve done that with.
“I’m really pleased with the academy graduates that we had out on Wednesday and how well they performed in that arena.
“I think as a football club, that’s a good marker. We’re doing things properly.”
Losing McCowan
Docherty fielded a young side at Parkhead with only three of the 13 players used against Celtic aged 30 or over.
Nine of those are 24 or under.
The Dens boss admits there has been a period of adjusting to the loss of McCowan to Celtic but is certain a turn in fortunes is just around the corner.
“Last year the campaign got stronger and stronger as the year went on and I do believe it will be the same this time,” he said to Dee TV.
“There has been a settling-in period, there has been a lot of change.
“We need to remember we lost our best player, our captain [Luke McCowan], and it takes time to adjust and adapt to that.
“I think Wednesday will go a long way towards doing that.
“Now it’s about taking that into Sunday’s game and making sure we are ready for that.”
The Dark Blues host Kilmarnock at Dens Park on Sunday aiming to leapfrog Derek McInnes’ side in the Premiership table.
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