Steven Pressley’s Dundee tenure kicked off with a deserved victory at Arbroath.
Two goals in the second half from Drey Wright and trialist Tommy McDermott did the deed despite the Gayfield wind machine.
Conditions were testing to say the least but there was enough in the Dark Blues performance to build on.
So what did we learn from the first pre-season friendly of the season?
Pressley
He’s only been in the building a few weeks but already we can see Pressley isn’t your typical manager.
That was clear to begin with at Gayfield. The new Dundee boss took a spot in the stands rather than the dugout.
When his players went into the dressing-room after warm-up, Pressley stayed in place. No pre-match team talk.
Everything he’d wanted to impart on his players had already been done on arrival. He left final prep to the players themselves.
In the game there was an early sign of the way he wants his team to play.
On paper, it was a 4-4-2 with Fin Robertson starting as a second striker alongside Simon Murray.
In practice, it was far more fluid. Ethan Ingram in the first half and Drey Wright in the second played at right back but consistently pushed high up the line.
The right winger moved inside and it became something akin to the front three Tony Docherty preferred last season – two No 10s behind a striker.
On the other side, the left winger hugged the line for the most part, occasionally dipping inside to create space for a central team-mate.
Early days but clear signs of a tactical approach to life as Dundee manager.
New signings
The starting XI saw Paul Digby begin the game in central midfield alongside Cesar Garza.
The former England U/20 international is a big presence in the middle of the park, physically imposing.
So too was Emile Acquah as he came on at half-time. Better will come from him but there’s no doubt the 24-year-old will be a handful for defenders this season.
In the early days we can already see Pressley’s team will have far more of a physical dimension than Dundee have had for a number of years.
Drey Wright made an instant impact after coming on at the break at right-back. His very first touch as a Dee brought the opening goal.
Wright’s corner delivery curled straight into the net, the wind giving Dundee a bit of good fortune. He also played a part in the second goal.
Later he showed the assuredness that comes with experience before a planned withdrawal after half-an-hour.
Trialist Terry McDermott also made an impression after replacing the injured Charlie Reilly. Running through on goal the attacking midfielder made no mistake in finding the roof of the net.
However, his immediate future won’t be at Dundee. Post-match Pressley revealed he was heading back to Burnley after they triggered an extension to his contract and need him for pre-season.
But that potential deal may be revived later in the window. A good goal and some nice touches, there are things to work with there.
Chespi is worth a mention here since he’s not been seen in action since February. The Mexican showed some lovely touches in the secondary striker role in addition to playing in McDermott for the second goal.
Whether he’ll be able to show enough to get some Premiership action this season, though, remains to be seen.
Youngsters
Dundee finished this match with an extremely young side. Twenty-two-year-old Imari Samuels was the oldest outfield Dee at the final whistle.
There was something to like about all the youngsters out there. Ethan Crombie impressed in central midfield, Chase Scott made some good runs down the left.
Tobias Davies-Browne was composed in central defence while 16-year-old Ryan Bland got a run-out late on and showed up well.
Impressive stuff from an ever-impressive youth setup.
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