Dundee star Lyall Cameron doesn’t just think he has more to give this season. He knows it.
The newly-capped Scotland U/21 international’s breakthrough campaign was a remarkable one – winning the Championship and topping the club’s scoring charts in the process.
He also became the first player in the club’s history to win Player of the Year, Player’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same season.
Such is the measure of Cameron’s standards, though, he feels he could have done more.
And he’s determined to up his game in the coming campaign as Dundee return to the Premiership.
“I know I still have so much to give,” Cameron said.
“Hopefully I can play in a good football team this year, passing it about, driving forward and scoring a lot of goals.
“I know I can give a lot more.
“I still have a lot to prove to a lot of people and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to do that.
“The Premiership will be tough. But that’s why we play football – you want a challenge.
“You want to play Celtic, Rangers, other good teams and players to see how you fare against them.
“I am really confident and looking forward to getting started.”
New contract
Cameron was the first to put pen to paper on a new deal at Dens Park after the season ended.
And he has revealed there was no waiting about on his end to secure his future with the Dark Blues.
“It was done a lot quicker than I thought it was going to be,” Cameron said.
“It was before I went away on my holiday and I wanted it done quickly.
“They sorted me out and I just thought if I could play here with a Premiership team week in, week out that would be good for my progress.
“It is a good opportunity to play first-team football at a good level and then see where that takes me.”
Scotland
His exploits in dark blue have already taken him to the international stage after he picked up two U/21 caps in recent back-to-back friendlies against Norway in Spain.
Both ended as draws but Cameron says the experience was a valuable one to help take him to that next level.
“It was good and a different style of football,” he added.
“We were up against tough opposition, we got two good results and could have won them both in the end.
“So it was a great experience.
“I met a lot of new people and got along well with them.
“When we played Norway, there were a lot of good players in that team.
“So I tried to learn from them and put that into my own game and keep improving.”
Trophies
Cameron scored 14 goals in all competitions last season, including a key strike in the title-winning clash at Queen’s Park and a hat-trick against Hamilton Accies.
He also picked up the triple-crown of club awards, was called up for Scotland U/21s and was named in both the PFA and SPFL Championship Teams of the Year.
However, he’s not one to sit back and reflect on a job well done last term – he wants more this time around.
“I have all my trophies from the award ceremony set out so people can come in and comment on them, which is good,” he said.
“But I am just so focused on getting started in the Premiership this season.
“The Championship was great but the Premiership is where you want to be, so I am looking forward to it.”
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