Steven Pressley has insisted Dundee need to show patience with Owen Bevan. The former Bournemouth defender is getting a run of games after recovering from the injuries that have curtailed him in recent years.
Pressley praises Bevan's response
Bevan had a couple of moments where he got caught in possession at Aberdeen, but, by and large, Pressley has been delighted by his summer signing. He claimed: "Owen has been excellent since he came in and the pleasing thing for me was that even with the couple of moments he had, his response was terrific. It didn't faze him and he was able to get back to his game."
Pressley added: "Owen is a player with real potential who is exciting me a lot. Bournemouth saw that in him as a younger player and had real high hopes for him but he just couldn't get going because of his injuries."
Training schedule tailored
Dundee are still tailoring his training schedule. Pressley admitted: "We still have to manage his training a little bit and modify certain things around him until we get him to the levels we need him to get to. His performances have been at a high level in the three games - but there's so much to come from him."
Pressley said: "I have wanted us to be a bit braver and more aggressive in our approach - Owen brings that because he's an aggressive player. That's both with and without the ball. When we transition into our man-to-man pressing, he's very aggressive and front-footed so he suits what we're trying to do."
He continued: "What you have to remember about Owen is that he's hardly played any games in the last couple of years so for him to have performed the way he has, it's real credit to him. He's been terrific so far and he will get stronger as times goes on. Ryan Astley alongside him, who often doesn't get much credit, they have formed a really promising partnership."
Goodman also impressing
New keeper Owen Goodman has also shown up well. He is also from Bournemouth, but is on-loan. Pressley said: "I'm very pleased with Owen, he's been very good and made some strong saves last weekend up at Aberdeen. He's settled into the group really well. One of the main reasons he came here was to improve his chances of becoming the number one for Canada and you can see why he has that ambition."
Pressley added: "He's a very, very good goalkeeper. His performances so far have been of a really high level, he has a proper presence in goal and is a calming influence. His size and stature is very impressive, it's an important factor for a goalkeeper these days. What I really like about him is his calmness, he's very cool in every situation and that brings the type of belief you want within the rest of the team."
