Dundee youngster Josh Mulligan is adamant he won’t have any split loyalties when it comes to Monday night’s Scottish Cup clash at Balmoor.
However, the 19-year-old admits he owes Peterhead and boss Jim McInally a huge amount after a successful loan spell with the Blue Toon at the start of this season.
Mulligan took League One by storm, rampaging down the right flank as an attacking full-back, scoring three goals in 24 appearances.
That experience, the youngster says, laid the foundation for him to be able to step into top-flight football with Dundee.
Trust
After a couple of substitute appearances, Mulligan made his very first start in the Premiership in the midweek win over Hearts, joining Charlie Adam and Shaun Byrne in midfield.
And he’s looking to keep his place on Monday’s live TV game at Balmoor.
“It’ll be an interesting one but I’m a Dundee player so I obviously want us to win,” he told the Courier.
“But it will be good to see everyone up there, there are some great boys up there but we want to get through to the next round.
“I did OK there but I don’t know what the fans might think. They were good with me.
“I enjoyed my time at Peterhead and Jim McInally helped me a lot.
“As soon as I got there, he trusted me to play every week. I think I played every game I was able to.
“I don’t think I would have been anywhere near playing in the Premiership if I hadn’t gone to Peterhead and played so many games.
“It definitely helped my career.”
‘Couldn’t hear myself think!’
Mulligan admits he was feeling the nerves ahead of his first ever trip to Tynecastle.
Despite having made his first league appearance for the club back in 2019 as a 16-year-old, the versatile youngster has had to wait almost three years to add appearance No 2.
That came last month at Livingston before manager James McPake trusted him with a starting spot against the Jambos.
Mulligan admits it was a learning curve for him at Hearts but he’s got the taste now for more first-team opportunities.
He added: “It was my first league start, I was buzzing with it and to get a win as well, I couldn’t ask for more.
“I thought the boys were first class.
“We’d done a bit of shape on Monday and then on Tuesday I found out I was starting.
“I was nervous but excited at the same time.
“It was a good kind of nerves. I’d never actually been to Tynecastle before and it was a good atmosphere, very loud.
“I couldn’t hear myself think at times!
“It was very different to League One.
“Sometimes on the ball it’s tough because it was a lot quicker than League One.
“In time, hopefully, I’ll get used to that and I felt as the game went on I was getting more settled.”
Dundee’s tactical tweak and the pre-match subterfuge that paid off in win over Hearts
