Dundee

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Steven Pressley says only having one game in five weeks is a "blessing in disguise" for depleted Dundee.

Due to their League Cup exit and the upcoming international break, their league visit of Motherwell a week on Saturday is Dundee's only match until 10 October.

With a number of players out injured - including midfielder Finlay Robertson, who has joined striker Simon Murray in being ruled out for the season with ACL damage - and midfielder Zan Besir suspended, Pressley's squad is being severely tested.

The Dens boss told BBC Scotland: "The real focus this year was to build a strong but very unified squad with low numbers because we felt that at a club like ourselves the culture and involvement of all players is very important and we thought we had got there.

"But with the news we have had recently it is very difficult.

"I also think to the summer, the length of time we worked on certain aspects. We worked with three strikers over the summer months and all three are out injured at present - Joe Westley, Simon Murray and Ash Hay.

"So it is difficult and that is why in some ways for ourselves the one game in five weeks is actually a blessing in disguise.

"It really is, because we have a new goalkeeper in the building, we have two new strikers that need to adapt, we have another midfielder in (Jack) Moorhouse, we have still got our new recruits in the summer trying to adjust to how we really want to play.

"So it is a big five weeks for us to be able to get on to the grass and not have the pressures of the game at the weekend.

"We are going to work really hard because there are a number of areas we really need to improve on that have been glaring in the opening five, six games of the season."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Dundee head coach Steven Pressley says "there were some tears" following the "devastating" news midfielder Finlay Robertson will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

The 23-year-old, who was taken off on a stretcher during the closing stages of Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Hearts, discovered on Wednesday he has torn his anterior cruciate ligament.

Robertson is now out long term along with striker and captain Simon Murray, who last month suffered a similar injury.

Pressley told BBC Scotland: "It is a really difficult one for us all to take. This morning there were some tears as you can imagine.

"It is really difficult news but I am sure, like Simon, he has the personality and character to rebound from this.

"It's really devastating news for us all. He had been working really hard to get back in the team, he got back in at the weekend at Tynecastle, was performing extremely well and then the incident happened and it has ended his season.

"He is a wonderful person, a wonderful character, and he will be sadly missed because we had really high expectations around him this season."

Striker Joe Westley also looks set for a spell out after sustaining a fractured cheekbone at Tynecastle.

Pressley said: "He goes to see the specialist on Thursday to decide whether or not an operation is necessary.

"We have obviously got concerns for him and the length of time he could be out for."

However, the Dundee boss is "hopeful" the ankle injury picked up by midfielder Ryan Finnigan is not as bad as first feared.

"There is still a lot of swelling in the ankle so we haven't managed to scan him at this stage, but we are hopeful around Ryan," said Pressley.

"He is making good progress so the feeling is that with us not playing this weekend he might have a chance for the Motherwell game [on 19 September]."

Dundee rejected a bid of £500,000 for Joe Bevan from a German club and also turned down multiple offers from Aberdeen for midfielder Ethan Hamilton before the transfer window shut. (Courier), external

Read the rest of Wednesday's Scottish gossip.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

When two starters are taken off on a stretcher and you're reduced to 10 men in arguably the most difficult venue in the league, it's only going to end one way.

If you were a Hearts fan attending your first ever game on Sunday, you'd have left with the buzz of a last-minute winner and the impression Dundee were a team of thugs.

Zan Besir's challenge would have been considered excellent had he done it against Shawn Michaels in a Hell in a Cell match.

We can take the positives. The display from a defensive perspective was strong for the vast majority of the game, Bradley Fink is off the mark with his first goal for the club, and Jack Moorhouse had an encouraging debut too.

Dundee have five strikers on the books, with three of them injured. A break this weekend is a welcome one as we edge closer to the return of Ash Hay.

The idea of Hay playing alongside Fink is an exciting prospect and maybe that's when we'll see this Dundee team at its best.

It goes without saying we wish Finlay Robertson and Joe Westley a speedy recovery and hope to see them back on the park in dark blue as soon as possible.

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Dundee striker Joe Westley, 21, is set for a spell on the sidelines after x-rays confirmed a fracture to his cheekbone. (Courier - subscription required, external)

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

We asked for your views after Hearts staged a late Scottish Premiership comeback to defeat 10-man Dundee.

Here's what some of you said:

Paul: Yet again another nearly result that doesn't score any points. We have to be much better when in possession of the ball - we just seemed to give away possession a lot.

Steve: Didn't do ourselves any favours going down to 10 men. Still need to get a grip on better possession. Pretty solid defensively but can't keep that up game after game. Young lad Jack Moorhouse looks promising.

Gary: A costly defeat. Two bad injuries and a daft sending-off - a pretty bad day. Zan Besir needs game time to bed in but his recklessness cost us.

Ewan: Unbelievably naive from everyone involved. Game management non-existent. Under the cosh, so we decide to go with three at the back. Crazy stuff. Can't argue with the penalty awarded, or the straight red card - that was just complete stupidity.

Albert: Very disappointed by the result but the manager will sort it out. Hearts are title challengers so it's not a bad result in all honesty.

Danny: A brave effort but we just ran out of steam and luck, considering those injuries. Some encouraging moments throughout the game. We just don't have the player resources to allow us to be more expansive.

Claudio Braga's penalty and Sabah Kerjota's brilliant low drive earned Hearts a dramatic Scottish Premiership victory over Dundee and extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight matches.

Read the match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Dundee head coach Steven Pressley tells BBC Scotland: "It was a really difficult to manage because of the injuries we sustained, and the sending off.

"New players were blowing, lacking fitness, they need to time to adjust to our ways. It was a really challenging game.

"We think Joe Westley could have a fractured cheekbone, which is a hammer blow. Fin Robertson looks like he's hurt the outside of his knee. We don't know the extent of it yet but we're a little fearful. Ryan Finnigan had to go off with an ankle injury, we're more hopeful of that.

"And the sending off as well... wow!

"The one thing is, the players have a never-say-die attitude. They were incredible, they kept going and going through adversity. In the end, we nearly got an outstanding result."

Dundee's on-loan Manchester United midfielder Jack Moorhouse says he was close to joining Everton this summer. (Courier), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

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Dundee head coach Steven Pressley is delighted to have secured the services of "special" midfielder Jack Moorhouse.

The 20-year-old signed for Dundee on loan from Manchester United on deadline day after months of interest.

Moorhouse could make his Dundee debut at Tynecastle on Sunday and Pressley expects big things from his new recruit.

"I spoke to Jack nearly three months ago in a Zoom call," Pressley told DeeTV. "He was our number-one target, a really special player, a player I think will excite our supporters.

"We didn't think in the end we were going to get him, but it was a bit like the Cam Congreve one – we tried early, it looked like he was going elsewhere and all of a sudden in the final days and hours it resurfaced and we are so pleased to get him.

"That's why I said it was so important there was a calmness around the club during the transfer window because, when you have set targets, sometimes you need to wait on them."

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Dundee boss Steven Pressley is expecting "a very difficult game" at Tynecastle on Sunday but his confident his side can get a positive result.

After a narrow defeat to Celtic in the first match of the new Premiership season, Dundee went on to defeat Aberdeen and city rivals Dundee United before losing to Hibs.

They drew 1-1 with St Johnstone on Wednesday night and sit fifth in the top flight table, joint on points with Rangers who have played one game less than Pressley's side.

During Pressley's tenure Dundee have beaten United three times in a row at Tannadice, having previously gone 21 years without a victory down the road, and picked up a first win at Pittodrie for 22 years back in February.

And while Pressley is expecting another difficult game this weekend, he's hopeful his side can upset the odds once again.

"A very difficult game," Pressley said when asked what can be expected from Sunday's trip to Gorgie.

"But we have proved in the past that we are capable of going to some of the more daunting venues and giving the right performances and hopefully getting the right results.

"We had a positive win on the road a couple of weeks ago at Tannadice and we obviously want to do that again on Sunday."

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• Seven of the 10 goals in Dundee's Scottish Premiership games this season have come in the second half of matches, with the Dee scoring four of six goals after half-time and conceding three of four after the break.

• After their 2-0 win over Dundee United in August, Dundee could win back-to-back away league games for the first time since January 2025.

• Hearts have won each of their last nine home league games, a run that began in February. The last side to win 10+ successive Scottish Premiership home matches were Celtic in February 2025 (10), while the last non-Old Firm club (Celtic/Rangers) to do so were Aberdeen in November 2024 (10).

• Dundee have lost five of their last six Scottish Premiership visits to Hearts, winning the other 1-0 in April 2025.

• Hearts won all three of their league meetings with Dundee last season and are looking to win four in a row against them in the top-flight for the first time since October 2004.

Dundee fans, we asked for your views after Wednesday's 1-1 draw against St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership.

Here's what some of you said:

Bob: Another below par performance with our midfield again unable to retain the ball and giving away cheap possession. Agree with the coach in that scoring first late on should have been handled better. It would have been a steal but I would have taken it. Looking forward to seeing improvements.

George: Another terrible display, out played yet again. No control in the midfield, never won any second balls. Steven Pressley needs to find a solution, fast.

Albert: Promising signs and just a pity our late goal didn't win the match. Credit to St Johnstone, albeit through gritted teeth, for nicking an equaliser.

Craig: I thought we struggled a bit, created massive opportunities despite this and should have seen the game out. St Johnstone tried hard but they have no cutting edge. If Dundee had won while playing so poorly it would have been a real bonus. Bradley Fink impressed when he came on and can't wait to see Jack Moorhouse play for Dundee. Onwards and upwards.

Brian: Another absolutely disgraceful performance. Yes we got a point but didn't deserve it. Our passing sideways and backwards is absolutely shocking, punting high balls to Joe Westley and Bobby Wales was such a waste. We need to get our fight back before it's too late.

Gary: I'm not really sure what we're going for at the moment. Played well in the two victories so far, but we allow the opposition to dictate too much of the play and we struggle to find answers to the obvious questions. Early days, but we need to be actively learning and wanting to improve, at the moment I'm not sure we are.

Watch all the highlights as Dundee and St Johnstone both scored late goals in Wednesday night's 1-1 draw at Dens Park in the Scottish Premiership. Available to UK users only.

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Dundee manager Steven Pressley said: "To take the lead so late on and not quite see it through is disappointing.

"There are some good learnings from tonight, we're evolving all the time, we know the areas we must improve in.

"We want to get more control of the ball, to have more sustained attacks and we're going to work extremely hard on that in the coming days and weeks.

"We're a young group that's learning all the time and trying to improve all the time. That's part of the journey.

"We can take some good positives from tonight's performance, there's no doubt about that but obviously some learnings as well.

"The evolution of the team will come with time and perseverance.

"Although we're a dangerous team on the counter-attack, we want to be a team that can also control the game."

A late St Johnstone equaliser frustrated hosts Dundee who had to make do with a Scottish Premiership point to extend their impressive recent run in the meeting between the sides.

Read the match report.

Have your say.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United youngster Jack Moorhouse has joined Dundee on loan for the remainder of the season.

Moorhouse was on the brink of joining Everton last month but the Merseysiders pulled out at the 11th hour.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who made 24 appearances on loan at Leyton Orient in the first half of last season, subsequently received a number of offers in League One, plus abroad.

However, he believes the Scottish Premiership offers the best chance to develop, having noted the impact made by United Premier League 2 squad team-mate Jacob Devaney at St Mirren last term.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Consistency is the key ingredient to any team enjoying a successful season.

Being consistently inconsistent isn't.

In their past six games across all competitions, Dundee's record reads W-L-W-L-W-L.

Up and down perhaps sums things up for Steven Pressley's side so far.

I have waxed lyrical about what I have seen from his team during the early stages of this campaign and it is clearly one that still promises plenty.

But Pressley will need to find a way of delivering a consistency of performances, or should I say results, over the coming weeks and months.

If he can, then there is every chance they will significantly improve on last season's eighth-place Premiership finish.

Of course there will be bumps in the road, this is another rebuilt squad, one which is having to move forward without the services of a number of key players who served them so well last term.

But as it continues to bed in the Dundee fans will be hoping the bumps become less and the road towards what they hope will be a successful season becomes smoother.

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Former Kilmarnock defender Joe Wright could make his Dundee debut against St Johnstone on Wednesday after joining from Bradford City.

But strikers Ashley Hay and Simon Murray remain out through injury.

Saints are waiting to learn if Danny Schmidt, the midfielder signed from Fortuna Dusseldorf, will be granted a work permit in time to make his debut.

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• When the two sides last met in Premiership action, Dundee emerged victorious 2-0 at McDiarmid Park in May 2025. Lyall Cameron scored both goals.

• Dundee are unbeaten in the past three Premiership matches between the two clubs. A win for St Johnstone would be their first against Dundee in the league since October 2024. During that period, Dundee have outscored the Saints with six goals for and two against.

• Hosts Dundee have one win and one loss this season in their two previous Premiership contests on home soil. St Johnstone were defeated in both of their previous league contests on their travels this season. Saints haven't won in a Premiership away game since February 2025 against St Mirren.