Dundee head coach Steven Pressley praised the character of his side as they came from behind twice to secure a 4-2 victory over Airdrie in the Premier Sports Cup at Dens Park on Saturday.
The Dark Blues fell behind to a Kian Taylor goal before Charlie Reilly equalised. Sam Fisher restored Airdrie's lead just before half-time, but second-half strikes from Ethan Hamilton, Joe Bevan and Ash Hay sealed the win for Dundee.
Pressley described the victory as a role reversal from last season, when Airdrie beat Dundee in his first game in charge. "The feeling today is a lot better than it was last year," he said. "But again, like last year, we're in a situation where we know we've got a lot of work."
Setbacks keep team focused
Pressley believes the hard-fought nature of the win will benefit his squad more than a comfortable victory would have done. "Sometimes if you play in the cup or the pre-season games and you win comfortably, you sometimes give yourself a false sense of where you are," he explained. "Today told us that we're doing some good things but in other areas we've got a lot of work ahead of us. You need setbacks in pre-season to really keep you focused and make sure that we keep driving those details and standards."
Despite scoring four goals and creating numerous chances, Pressley identified defensive disconnection as a key area for improvement. "Especially defensively, we were a little bit disconnected at times," he said. "So these are all areas that we know we need to improve on."
Individual performances shine
Pressley singled out debutant Joe Bevan for praise, noting his ability to take on defenders after the summer departures of Cam Congreve and Tony Yogane. "The importance of players who are strong one-v-one is vital. He was excellent," Pressley said. He also highlighted Ethan Crombie's club debut as a positive.
Midfielder Ethan Hamilton scored a spectacular goal, and Pressley expects more goals from midfield this season. "We want more goals from different areas of the field," he said. "Both he and Charlie [Reilly] scored great goals. I'm not surprised, truth be told. We've seen Ethan doing it on a number of occasions last year. Charlie is a really top finisher."
Goalkeeper's tough day
Back-up goalkeeper Harry Sharp had a difficult afternoon, with Airdrie's opener deflecting off him off the post and Fisher's free kick beating him from distance. Pressley defended Sharp's aggressive positioning, saying: "He'll be fine. I don't know how deliberate it was. But equally, one of the things we've asked of our goalkeepers is to be quite aggressive in their starting position. So, again, this comes with games and finding the perfect position."
Defensive work ahead
Pressley was disappointed with the goals conceded but believes defensive improvements will come through repetition. "I was disappointed with not just the goals, but some of our defensive actions. I thought we were a little bit disconnected on some of these moments that we need to tighten up on. But we'll work hard on that. We didn't recover our positions quick enough or effectively enough. But again, that'll come through a lot of repetition and real games."
New signings impress
Pressley, who is still targeting five or six new signings, praised debutant Owen Bevan for his aggressive duels and ability to break lines. "He did really well within the game. He was aggressive in the duels. He's also got a real footballing ability to break lines, so I'm really pleased with him," Pressley said. He also commended Idris Odutayo and Ryan Finnigan for solid debuts.
