Dundee have the ability to “push” for a top-six finish on their return to the Premiership says managing director John Nelms.
After winning promotion through the play-offs last season, the Dark Blues are gearing up for their Premiership comeback after two years in the Championship.
They kick off the league campaign on July 31 at home to St Mirren after completing the group stage of the Premier Sports Cup.
They currently lead Group C in that competition after being awarded a 3-0 victory over Ross County due to the Staggies’ Covid-19 problems.
That’s given them this weekend off ahead of a trip to Montrose on Wednesday.
With the league campaign kicking off in just a fortnight, Nelms was asked about season objectives for James McPake and his side.
And the Dark Blues chief is backing the team to aim high.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Nelms said: “Realistically staying up is where we want to be but we are never satisfied with that.
“We’d certainly like to be a top-six club, we think Dundee deserve to be a top-six club.
“But there is a lot of hard work and a lot of hard graft that needs to be in place for that to happen.
“I think with the spirit we have, the fans behind us, our manager, the players and their attitude I don’t think it’s out of the realm we could be pushing for a top-six finish this year.”
👏The process of getting fans back
👀The return of the Dundee derby
🏆The strength of the Premiership
6⃣Aiming for a top-six finish
➡️Building for the future in DundeeA fascinating interview with @DundeeFC chief John Nelms ahead of the new @spfl Premiership season👇 pic.twitter.com/409EhNxaLi
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) July 16, 2021
‘Drama all year long’
Coming up with the Dark Blues last season were Championship winners Hearts bringing both the Dundee and Edinburgh derbies back to the top flight.
The first clash with Dundee United is scheduled for September 19 at Tannadice before the teams face off at Dens on January 2.
Supporters have also returned to the stands with Dundee’s home matches currently housing 500 Dees.
With the strength of the league and derbies back, Nelms says it will be “drama all year long” in the season to come.
“[Promotion] is a huge lift for the club, the players, the fans and the city,” he added.
“We’ll have both teams in the league and it’s going to be amazing to get the derbies back.
“How can you not be excited when just about every big club in Scottish football is back in the league finally?
“All the big derbies are back, it’s fantastic for the fans. We’re finally getting the fans back in the stands and it’s going to be drama all year long.”
Safety first
Dundee were one of few teams to have fans cheering them on at the tail end of last season as they faced Kilmarnock in the play-off final.
And Nelms is hopeful of numbers increasing in the coming weeks.
He said: “We have to be patient even though it is frustrating. We are trying to do the best by our fans but we have to do so in a safe manner that gets us out of this thing once and for all.
“If we are patient for a little bit longer we’ll be in good shape.
“Even though we’ve had just a small amount of fans, it did lift the team and pushed us on. Ultimately we got promoted.
“We can’t do it without the fans, they are the most important thing.
“It’s imperative we get them back but, once again, it has to be in a safe manner.”