Dundee’s future is an “exciting” one, insists development boss Scott Robertson, after the Dark Blues U/18 side booked their place in the last four of the Scottish Youth Cup.
The youngsters defeated Banks O’ Dee 2-0 in the quarter final at a soaked Regional Performance Centre on Sunday afternoon.
It was a hard-fought win in wet and windy conditions with a good crowd braving the weather.
The Aberdeen outfit proved a tough opponent but eventually the Dark Blues broke through late in the second half.
Sub Leo Howett cut the ball across for central defender Louis Gray to fire home from close range.
The hosts survived a late flurry in their own box before Luca Rennie broke clear in stoppage time to book a semi-final spot for his team with a well-taken goal.
“I knew it would be hard,” former Scotland international Robertson said.
“Banks O’ Dee are in the quarter-final on merit. They’re organised, hard-working and have a real threat.
“They knocked out St Johnstone and Partick Thistle in previous rounds.
“So I knew they were going to be really tough.
“I said to the boys at the end that it’s an easy game to lose, a very hard game to win.
“We did well to get the goal and then there was a late push from them. It felt like a good minute where the ball wouldn’t leave our box.
“Thankfully, we came out on the right side of it and got a goal at the death to put it to bed.”
Exciting
It has been some time since Dundee were in the final four of the Scottish Youth Cup.
And Robertson is full of praise for the quality of his young side.
“It’s exciting,” he added.
“Derek Souter was in the dugout today, goalkeeper coach. I think the last time we got to a semi-final, he was actually in the goal for the U/18s. That shows you how long it was.
“It is a big thing.
“I think it’s a signal of what I’ve been preaching for the last four or five years of how good these boys can actually be.
“And I actually looked back this week, the last squad I had in the quarter-final was three seasons ago and there’s five boys still at the club from that squad. One of them is Luke Graham and he’s now in the first-team squad.
“Obviously, we all know that’s what these things are about, developing players for the first-team.
“I look at this squad and I think hopefully there’s going to be at least two or three that will be in and around the first-team in three seasons’ time.
“I genuinely believe that the squad I’m working with now is the strongest I’ve worked with.
“We’ve obviously lost a couple from the group that started with two boys leaving for exciting opportunities in Seb Lochhead to Wolves and Ally Graham to Nottingham Forest. But the guys that are coming up underneath them are just as exciting.
“We had Ryan Bland, Travis Boyd and Jamie Whitton all on the bench, having already played for the U/16s on Sunday. But they’re there on merit and, if needed, I would have absolutely no doubt of calling upon them.
“It’s a really, really exciting group.”
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