GEORGE CRAN: Why Saturday is the biggest match of the season for BOTH Dundee and Partick Thistle

Dundee head to Partick Thistle on Saturday – it is surely the biggest match of the season for BOTH clubs.

Neither are in good shape, though the Dark Blues are far happier with their lot than the Jags.

Almost anyone is right now.

Conceding 15 goals in four matches will shred any team’s confidence.

They will be vulnerable this weekend.

For Gary Bowyer and his side, they just have to jump all over the fragility of Partick Thistle.

But they have already had their bums skelped by Ian McCall and his side this season, going 3-0 down inside an hour at Dens on the opening day before making it respectable late on.

That’s where the Dark Blues have to be careful. Take anything for granted in the Championship and you often come unstuck.

‘Owe them one’

Partick are a good team and will turn their form around at some point but Dundee can’t let it be this weekend.

Central defender Lee Ashcroft has already said they “owe” Thistle one.

That’s the mentality the Dark Blues have to head to Maryhill with rather than looking at the recent form.

Clearly the Jags had that at Dens Park on opening day with long memories to ‘e-mail-gate’ back at the start of the pandemic.

Brian Graham told everyone so after the game.

Under-performing

Dundee just have to get a win on the board, there haven’t been nearly enough lately.

Just one victory in the last six games and only twice have they scored more than once.

With the players in that squad, they are under-performing.

Stick another defeat in that list at Firhill on Saturday and big, big questions will be heading Bowyer’s way.

Thistle themselves would end a four-match losing streak and move four points ahead while Ayr would have the chance to open up an eight-point gap on the Dee.

They don’t look like slowing down any time soon and neither does star striker Dipo Akinyemi – he has scored more league goals than Ross County, Arbroath and Peterhead this season.

And he’s level with Dundee United and Forfar!

Dundee don’t have a goalscorer like that but they need their current frontmen to step up now.

More of the same

Bowyer this week put a positive spin on things praising the mentality of his squad for “not going under” during tough times of late.

That will only be accepted by supporters, though, if his prediction of a team taking off with a win is realised.

More of the same and there will not be happy punters in the stands.

They’ve seen enough dark blue struggles over the years.

For the players, though, Saturday is the opportunity to put out a statement.

That’s what was said at the start of the season, however, when Partick came to Dens and Dundee came up well short.

They can’t afford a repeat showing.

This is a crunch contest – the loser is in big trouble.