Dundee need to use Saturday’s opening day disappointment as a “boot up the backside” for the rest of the season.
That’s according to defender Cammy Kerr as the Dark Blues lick their early season wounds and plan a response next weekend at Raith Rovers.
Optimism was high at Dens Park going into the Championship season after a very positive Premier Sports Cup run.
However, that all came to a grinding halt as Dundee found themselves 3-0 down after 50 minutes at home to Partick Thistle.
Kerr would head in for 3-1 before Tyler French closed the gap late in the game.
‘Found wanting’
But it is a defeat to kick off their promotion tilt and the 26-year-old insists Saturday was a lesson Dundee must learn and learn quickly.
“It was extremely disappointing. That’s a stark reminder of how difficult this league is,” he said.
“A good pre-season run doesn’t indicate anything. You start again.
“We started slow and were found wanting, going two goals down and that’s difficult.
“You don’t just turn up with a right to win games.
“Partick Thistle are a good side, take nothing away from them but we can only look at ourselves.
“It’s maybe the wee boot up the backside we need.”
Resolute
He added: “The goals were soft. The first one was a deflection, the second one was a mix-up and the third we switched off.
“That’s probably the first time we’ve really been under the cosh this season. We had that a bit at Queen’s Park but we rode that well.
“We will need to be more resolute this season and we’ll work on that.
“We can only get our heads down now.
“It can’t hold us back for two or three weeks. We need to bounce back straight away.”
Goals
Though the start to the season was a negative one, it also brought Kerr’s third goal of the season.
With his second, he’d already topped his best scoring tally in a Dundee season, now he’s level with the three he got on loan at Peterhead in 2014/15.
All three have come from corner kicks with the full-back enjoying the chance to go up for set-plays this term.
And he’s planning more goals to come.
“Gary Bowyer has been nothing but great with me so far and he’s understood what my game is about in terms of energy, getting up and down but also being a threat up that end.
“I’m still working on my quality in that but every day I am working on that to get better.
“And they are allowing me to do that.”
Owe the manager a reaction?
With that in mind, do the players owe manager Bowyer a performance next week in Kirkcaldy?
“Definitely, Saturday wasn’t down to the manager, it was down to our slackness,” Kerr added.
“We know that. We have an honest group and everyone will have looked at themselves.
“There are still a few to come back – Paul McGowan and big Lee Ashcroft as well as others.
“We’ve got to remember that as well.”
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