Dundee midfielder Gary Harkins may have taken the heat off teammate Darren O’Dea thanks to his “new club” jibe aimed at Rangers.
No one at Dens Park is taking victory over Dumbarton in their William Hill Scottish Cup fifth round replay at Dens Park tonight for granted.
However, since the draw for the last eight paired the winners of this match with the Light Blues at Ibrox it has been hard to ignore the prospect of what would become, arguably, the tie of the next round.
Indeed, in the aftermath of Saturday’s goalless draw in the league at Kilmarnock, Harkins joked how good it would be to go up against the “new club” as he hadn’t faced them before.
It was a brave or daft venture onto one of Scottish football’s most explosive minefields, albeit the player has subsequently insisted via Twitter that it was “just a wee joke.”
Of course, Dundee defender Darren O’Dea also dabbled in Rangers talk last November (before he joined the Dark Blues) when he criticised the club’s historic use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) and raised the prospect of their being stripped of titles retrospectively.
Now it seems Harkins might have done O’Dea a favour by taking the pressure off him ahead of a potential visit to Govan.
It was left to someone who has stayed well clear of the whole controversy, Dundee midfielder Nick Ross, to consider the hullabaloo ahead of tonight’s replay against the Sons.
He speculated that his captain has probably done O’Dea a turn.
“Gary is like that,” said Ross.
“He is always trying to wind people up and he has done a good job there.
“He has been getting a lot of abuse on Twitter, a few of my pals have sent me some of them but I don’t think I can repeat what’s been said!
“It won’t bother him – he can handle it.
“That’s why he did it.
“He loves to wind people up and he knows that if you give it out you have to take it back.
“Everyone gets it from him.
“He doesn’t let anyone in the dressing-room rest for a minute.
“In this case, I don’t think you realise how big a deal it will be until it’s said and then you get the reaction from it in the papers and on social media.
“That escalates it.
“If we get through to play Rangers he will get abuse but it won’t affect him too much.
“Darren O’Dea is happy because he would be getting booed so Gary will take some of the heat off him.
“All of the focus has been on what Gary said rather than the game, but we have got our minds on Dumbarton.
“The manager didn’t say much about it to us, although he probably spoke to Gary privately.”
Ross couldn’t resist thinking about what will lie ahead if they overcome the Sons this evening.
He added: “If we get through it will be a great tie – one of the ties of the round – and it might be picked up by TV.
“I have played against Rangers a few times at Ibrox – I remember drawing 1-1 and they were always tight games.
“It’s always a good game and a great atmosphere when you go there.
“If we do get through it will be a tough game.”
Dundee boss Paul Hartley is determined that the focus is fully on tonight’s clash despite Rangers looming large on the horizon.
“I think we know what’s in front of us,” said Hartley.
“We knew that about two weeks ago.
“But I think we have to show Dumbarton the respect they deserve.
“It’s not going to be an easy game.
“The first game wasn’t easy and we have to make sure we are not complacent.
“If we win, then we know who we face in the next round.
“It’s a massive match for us.
“We have to be patient. That goes for everybody, including the supporters.”