Tony Docherty insists Dundee have left “no stone unturned” in their preparation for a tricky season-opener at Bonnyrigg Rose.
The Dark Blues kick off their 2023/24 campaign on Tuesday night having watched the likes of Dundee United, St Johnstone and St Mirren fall to 1-0 defeats at lower-league opposition over the weekend.
Bonnyrigg themselves kicked off their Group E campaign with defeat at Inverness.
And Docherty has ensured preparation for his debut as a first-team manager has been as thorough as it possibly could be.
“Bonnyrigg are a good side, they have an experienced manager in Robbie Horn who has done a great job there,” he told Courier Sport.
“They did really well last season as a newly-promoted team and finished eighth with 42 points.
“They have a reputation of starting seasons really well so we’ll need to be careful.
“We had them watched on Saturday and have watched previous games and they are no mugs so we give them full respect.
“They were the joint top-scorers in League Two last season so they have really good attacking options in Ross Watson, Smart Osadalor and Ross Gray.
“Then Keiran McGachie comes off the bench on Saturday and scores against Inverness.
“There’s no stone unturned in terms of the opposition we are playing and we give them the utmost respect because they are a good side, particularly at home.
“We’ll be a scalp to them and we have to realise that.
“I’ve been pleased with our pre-season but I’m not getting carried away.
“We’re itching to get started now.”
New faces
Docherty is hoping to add more new faces to his squad this week.
There was also hope Dundee would see Antonio Portales and Diego Pineda arrive at the club ahead of Tuesday’s clash after they received international clearance to complete their moves from Mexico.
A message from Antonio Portales for the Dundee support.
The club are delighted to confirm that the Visa process for Antonio Portales and Diego Pineda is now complete and we expect to be welcoming both players to Dundee later this week. #thedee#vamosdundee#dosamigos pic.twitter.com/RoUSPSnhe4
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) July 16, 2023
However, the wait will go on a little longer.
Docherty said: “The plan is they’ll be here on Thursday. Obviously we have the game Tuesday then the players are off Wednesday so hopefully they will join the group on Thursday.
“I’ve had numerous conversations with them both and from the video Antonio posted you can see they are extremely keen to get here.
“We’re desperate to get them in.”
Team news
Dundee will, though, welcome new signing Scott Tiffoney back into the squad after he sat out Saturday’s friendly win over Cove Rangers.
Jordan McGhee made his comeback from injury in that 1-0 victory while Tyler French is also nearing a return from his broken leg.
One who is missing, however, is Charlie Reilly with a calf strain.
There is no timescale for his return, though.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on him in terms of timescale because he’s just a victim of his own enthusiasm,” Docherty explained.
“He did extra training in the close season to be ready for coming up here but unfortunately he picked up a wee strain.
“Then when he came in he aggravated it again. I don’t want to put pressure on him because I want him to come back when he’s ready.
“But it won’t be too long. He’s a good player and a good addition to the squad.”
