By Graeme Dey

Dundee manager Jim Duffy last night called on Dark Blues followers not to snub Sunday’s derby.

Only 600 tickets have been sold for the game by Dundee —when normally 2000 would have been snapped up by this stage—as fans choose to indicate their opposition to possible ground share at Tannadice next season with a boycott.

However, Duffy for one reckons this is a misguided course of action.

“I think we should be concentrating on this season, and this the final derby of this season, then see what happens further down the line,” he said.

“One of the great things about the Dundee derby is the atmosphere but to have that you need two sets of supporters giving a strong vocal backing to their team.

“I’m sure there will be a bit of extra banter coming from the United fans but as long as it is good natured then surely we can treat that with a sense of humour.

“I am asking our supporters to be at Tannadice on Sunday because, whatever the circumstances surrounding the club at the moment, surely first and foremost they want to support the team.”

Duffy is disquieted by the suggestion that by watching the game on TV and donating the money which would have been spent on ticket money fans would not only be boosting Dundee’s survival chances but, just as importantly, denying United income.

“Of course the more Dundee fans who turn out the greater the financial benefit to Dundee United but I can’t understand why people would want to stay away to deny them money,” he said.

“What has happened to this club has nothing to do with United. They didn’t put Dundee in the financial situation we found ourselves in!’’

Dundee must make a decision on whether to lodge at Tannadice next term or remain at Dens long before the May 31 deadline imposed by the SPL if they are to have any chance of entering company voluntary arrangement and avoiding a 10-point penalty.

It’s believed it could be at least a fortnight before there is any concrete news.

However, Courier Sport understands the pressure coming from Halifax Bank of Scotland —which is owed £13.8 million by the Dark Blues and £6.5million by United—to establish a tenant/landlord relationship remains, despite administrator Tom Burton telling HBOS that, following careful scrutiny of the figures, such a move would prove less financially advantageous, at least for the first year, to Dundee than had previously been thought the case.

Meanwhile, Jim Duffy paid a glowing tribute to on loan midfielder Neil Barrett who featured against Partick despite being in considerable discomfort from an ankle problem.

“Neil did us a real turn by playing in circumstances in which not many players would have,” said Duffy. “And for someone who is only on loan here to do what he did is actually unbelievable.”

Barrett needs a follow-up operation on earlier surgery which involved the joint being screwed in two places and it may be that, with his likely recuperation running to two months, he’ll enter hospital shortly after the SPL split so as to be fit in time for pre-season training.