Dundee’s clash with Rangers on Wednesday night was a “mess” says Dens skipper Joe Shaughnessy.
A mess because of delays to kick off, due to traffic and then flares in the away end, a mess because of referee Kevin Clancy’s block on Luke McCowan that led to a goal.
Dundee’s performance, too, after their usual defensive stability deserted them after falling to a 5-0 thumping at home.
However, the Dens skipper insists there will be “no moping” around for the Dark Blues as they aim to shake off the midweek disappointment at home to Livingston on Sunday.
“It was a tough night,” Shaughnessy said.
“It is not nice to lose. When we went in 1-0 down at half time, I think it was, we came out and changed shape and wanted to have a little go and maybe press them. So to lose a second goal so quickly killed us.
“A couple of the goals we could not do much about – the one he hits in off the crossbar there’s not much you can do about that and then the penalty.
“It is frustrating in the end but the good thing is we have a game on Sunday and we just have to go again.
“That’s it. It has happened. You learn from it. We learn from all the mistakes we made and hopefully not let it happen again.”
‘We didn’t know what was happening’
Preparation for Sunday, or any game for that matter, is unlikely to be anything like Wednesday’s Premiership clash.
The match finally kicked off 45 minutes late at 8.30pm after the Rangers team bus was delayed by traffic.
Then two minutes in, the away end was filled with smoke from a huge number of pyrotechnics and set off fire alarms in the Bob Shankly Stand.
That led to the teams going off the pitch after police advice before the game finally got under way properly at around 8.50pm.
“You can’t prepare for any of that,” Shaughnessy said.
“We are here on time and yet not kicking off until half eight. And then you are not really starting the game until quarter to nine- yeah, the whole night was a bit of a mess.
“I think there were fire alarms going off and things like that. I honestly did not know what was happening.
“We knew fire alarms were going off but we had in our heads we would be going out at some stage. We did not really know when to be honest.
“It was a mess.”
No moping
Shaughnessy, though, is already putting the pain of the defeat behind him.
The 31-year-old has been around long enough to know there is potential for a heavy scoreline when taking on Rangers or Celtic.
“I have been playing for ages – and I have had results like that before, a lot of them against one of the Old Firm,” he added.
“You come away from it and you learn your lessons and you go again on Sunday.
“It’s all part of football. That’s the good thing.
“We won’t be moping around for too long.”
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