Charlie Reilly is determined to finally show Dundee what he can really do.
The young winger has not had injury issues to seek in his short full-time career.
The step up from part-time football in League Two with Albion Rovers to the Premiership with Dundee has been a big one.
And his body has struggled to cope with the demands, picking up muscle injury after muscle injury.
Last season Reilly revealed he’d suffered 11 injuries across his debut top-flight campaign.
That luck continued after he damaged a hamstring in Dundee’s first match of the 2024/25 season. Then after recovering from that went out on loan to Inverness and once more got injured after just one appearance.
Now, though, he’s put in even more work in recovery and is determined to make an impact with the Dark Blues.
Now or never
With his contract up at the end of the season, it’s now or never for the 23-year-old.
“It has been a frustrating time but it happens in football so you just have to get on with it,” Reilly said of his injury woes.
“I’d worked so hard to get back then got injured again on my first game for Inverness, so I’ve worked even harder this time.
“It felt good to be back in the team, I’d played a few 90 minutes in reserve games but it was great to be out on the pitch helping the boys again.
“And it was good to make an impact against Motherwell – it was a shot that was going wide but thankfully Si [Murray] was able to turn it in.
“But when you don’t get the result it doesn’t really mean anything.”
‘Only one way to get out of trouble’
Reilly came off the bench again against St Johnstone on Saturday and once more made a positive impact late in the game.
Dundee, though, couldn’t quite get that win to push themselves clear of Saints in the Premiership table.
And Reilly admits it’s been tough to see the side struggle in such a bad run of results.
“We are not in the position we want to be in but we have to stick together, dig in and get to where we want to be,” he added.
“It has been tough, we’re going through a sticky patch right now but the boys are all in it together.
“We have to defend better because we have been conceding a lot of goals.
“In some games we would have needed to score four to win a game so you don’t want to be in that situation.
“We need to stop that and stop conceding, which means sticking in and grinding as a unit.
“We know if we can shut the back door we’ll get back to the place where we want to be.”
Contract
A change in formation by manager Tony Docherty to help bring more defensive solidity has proved beneficial for Reilly.
Suddenly wingers are needed again after a long time playing with wing-backs.
And that means Reilly has a chance to earn a new deal.
He isn’t, though, thinking too much about a potential extension.
Asked about his contract, Reilly replied: “Sometimes it’s in the back of your head but I need to help the team out as much as I can so I haven’t been thinking about it.
“What happens will come at the end of the season but first and foremost I have to be back out there showing what I can do.
“My luck with injuries hasn’t been great but hopefully I can kick on now and show what I can do.”
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