Dundee

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Claire Thomson
BBC Sport Scotland

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Steven Pressley hopes Dundee can continue to "get their reward" for their early-season hard work and togetherness with victory against "good example" St Mirren.

Pressley picked up his first Scottish Premiership win as Dundee manager after a 97th-minute penalty denied Livingston a heroic comeback last Saturday.

"The weekend demonstrated a togetherness within the group that makes me proud and helps to build foundations for the future," the Dens Park boss said.

"We're at the early stages of development. This season will be a challenge with some really tough moments, but we're all fighting for the same cause and working exceptionally hard to be better.

"You can only learn from experiences. We were 2-0 up against Livingston then lost two goals, so we'll learn from that and hopefully improve.

"The players are a credit to themselves and a real enjoyment for me to work with, so we're getting that reward."

Dundee make the trip to Stephen Robinson's "exemplary" Premier Sports Cup semi-finalists this weekend, but Pressley hopes his side can "build momentum" with back-to-back victories.

"St Mirren are a very good side and good example to clubs like us," he added.

"They recruit very well for their style of play and are a really, strong physical team. It's a real challenge going there and a game we're excited about.

"Another win would build that momentum, which is huge in football. If we can keep moving forward then you never know."

Claire Thomson
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Dundee manager Steven Pressley has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to face St Mirren in the Premiership this weekend.

Here are the main points:

• Pressley believes Dundee's first Premiership win last weekend has "enhanced the spirit and unity" within the team.

• He adds: "It demonstrated a togetherness within the group that makes me proud and helps to build foundations for the future."

• Pressley admits the season will be a challenge as the team is still in the "early stages of development" but he insists the players are all working hard to improve.

• Despite the 3-2 victory over Livingston, he hopes the players will learn from losing two goals and how to manage nerves during games, but has been impressed with his team's attacking, highlighting Simon Murray's return to form and Joe Westley's first goal for the club.

• St Mirren, who reached the Premier Sports semi-final last weekend, will be a "real challenge" and are a "good example to clubs like us". Pressley adds: "They recruit really well for their style of play and are a really strong, physical team."

• He wants another win for Dundee to help build momentum, but says: "The difficulty when you're trying to build during the season is you're also exposed to the harshness of winning and losing games, which can dent confidence and sometimes you can't see progression because of the confidence factor."

• Pressley admits he has been "fortunate to inherit good individuals that have helped to integrate new players into the club and build togetherness", but believes there is still an imbalance in the squad that he is keen to improve on in the next window.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

Dundee have their first league victory of the Steven Pressley era - and it came in the kind of dramatic fashion that could set the tone for what's to follow.

From 2-0 up to being pegged back level on the 83rd minute, it felt as though the familiar habit of surrendering late leads from the Tony Docherty tenure was about to return.

Instead, Dundee pushed through adversity and found a 97th-minute winner that feels symbolic, as if there has been a shift in mentality.

The big question before kick-off was whether Cameron Congreve could build on his impact off the bench last week. He answered emphatically, setting up two goals and prompting supporters into rising off their seats with his direct and flashy style. He was the deserved man of the match.

Creative sparks are beginning to emerge across the side. Tony Yogane looks close to adding numbers to his record, Yan Dhanda will soon return from suspension as a key source of invention, and Charlie Reilly marked his comeback from injury with the decisive intervention by winning the late penalty that Callum Jones coolly dispatched for victory.

Between Simon Murray and Joe Westley, Dundee also carry the goalscoring options for everything to come full circle and it makes the potential of this team a little bit more visible.

For now, Congreve takes centre stage. If he can sustain this level then he could steal a bigger spotlight like our last Welsh loanee, Owen Beck.

The Dark Blues finally have some wind in their sails. The hope is we continue to witness this trajectory of improvement.

We asked for your views on Dundee's 3-2 win against Livingston.

Here's what some of you said:

Gary: Made hard work of it, but it's a first win and a good three points. Steven Pressley said the team performed reasonably well for 70 minutes - it was in the 10 directly after that we nearly lost it as he'd weakened the team with his substitutions.

We should've known Livi were always likely to keep pushing, even if they were gifted two goals, but we should never have been in the position of needing a 97th-minute winner. So frustrating watching the team under no real threat, yet still passing backwards instead of turning on the ball and moving forward. That'll hopefully change as confidence in how they can get forward grows.

Carl: Good team picked and the subs, especially Cameron Congreve and Charlie Reilly, improved our performance and were made at the right time. The game changed after Livi scored their first goal, and became nerve-racking after their second, bringing back shades of last season! The guys never gave up however, and deservedly earned our first victory playing with more confidence than in previous games.

Gordon: Better from Dundee. Some of the substitutes were not yet up to the standard of the starting 11. Slowly, we seem to have improved our attacking skills.

Iain: What a relief! Our first win of the season. Disappointing to let a 2-0 home lead slip, but who can argue with a penalty winner in extra time? I'll take that.

Andy: Great to get the first three points of the season on the board. Jon McCracken was excellent again with some top saves and decent performances throughout the team. Had it not been for that shocking Rangers penalty award at Ibrox we would be sitting in third place. Well done lads.

Ewan: Great to get the first win of the season on the board. Shame it's only our second at home in 2025. Struggling to work out Pressley's thought process behind taking off our two goal-scorers and assist-provider at 2-0 up, but relieved we managed to get three points over the line. I'm sure it was entertaining for the neutral, not so much for those in dark blue.

Dundee finally got their Scottish Premiership season going with a first win of the campaign.

It came in dramatic fashion against Livingston, but what did you make of the game?

• Match report

• Have your say

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Dundee manager Steven Pressley told Sportsound: "I thought for 70 minutes we performed reasonably well.

"I thought we were far more creative than we have been in recent weeks.

"I thought we showed courage as I wanted us to be more courageous in possession and I thought we did that. But also courage to go and win the game.

"And having been 2-0 up, with Livingston them showing a great reaction, we could have gone under. But no, Jon McCracken makes an incredible save, we go up the other end and get the penalty.

"I had more than my heart in my mouth [at penalty review].

"I was very hopeful. But when it's made and he's asked to review it you always have that concern. But thankfully it was given."

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Dundee midfielder Yan Dhanda drops out through suspension following his red card against Motherwell.

Paul Digby (calf) remains out and Mexico Under-20 international Cesar Garza is on international duty. Charlie Reilly is back in contention after a broken collarbone.

Shane Blaney and Jeremy Bokila have returned to training and will be assessed ahead of Livi's trip to Tayside. Cammy Kerr, Cristian Montano and Aidan Denholm remain sidelined.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Luke Graham believes an elusive first Premiership victory can ignite Dundee's season.

After three draws and two defeats so far, Steven Pressley's men are desperate for a maiden victory when Livingston come calling on Saturday.

Defender Graham, who netted the equaliser in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Motherwell, believes Dundee have shown "at times" they can compete with most teams, but says they need to do it on a more consistent basis.

"It is massive to get the first win on the board, I think it will just be a big sigh of relief when it comes and we just need to try and get that on Saturday and hopefully kick on from there," he said.

"It has been a bit of a disappointing start but with everything that has been changing around the club it is always going to take a bit of time for everything to start coming together.

"I feel like last week in the second half especially we showed we can be a good team but we just need to be a bit more consistent.

"We have definitely shown at times that we can compete with most of the teams in this league and it is just about being a bit more consistent and showing it on a more permanent basis."

Graham spent last season on loan at Championship-winning Falkirk, where he saw at close quarters the difficulties Livingston can pose.

He said: "I played Livingston a good number of times and they kind of had our number a bit at Falkirk.

"so I already know they are an aggressive, powerful, good running side, but we are building towards it this week and just need to try and get the win."

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• Dundee have won the past three league meetings with Livingston – their longest ever top-flight winning run over the Lions.

• Dundee have won just one of their past 12 Scottish Premiership home games against newly-promoted opponents (D4 L7), and none of their past seven (D3 L4) since beating Rangers 2-1 in February 2017.

• Dundee remain winless in the Premiership this season (P5 D3 L2), while only Aberdeen have scored fewer goals (zero) and earned fewer points (one) than the Dark Blues (three goals, three points).

• Livingston are winless in 20 away games in the top flight (D5 L15). Only one side have gone longer without a Premiership win on the road in the 21st century, with Ross County going 25 without victory from September 2023 to December 2024 – a run the Staggies ended by beating Dundee.

• The average age of Livingston's starting XIs in the Scottish Premiership this season has been 28 years and 338 days, the oldest of any side. Dundee rank third youngest (25y 188d).

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Steven Pressley has warned it will take time, perseverance and "real struggle" to delive a Dundee team "our supporters are proud of".

The Dark Blues, who exited the Premier Sports Cup in the group stage, are without a win in their opening five Premiership games, losing two.

Head coach Pressley, who replaced Tony Docherty in the summer, is eyeing a first league victory when newly-promoted Livingston head to Tayside on Saturday.

"The difficulty that I have sometimes is that people just look at the results and there is absolutely no context to anything," said Pressley. "My job is not to look for excuses but to bring context.

"When I look at the Hibernian game on the first day of the season, we were struggling to get a team on the pitch, we had players that weren't even fit out there.

"We were without the [Yan] Dhandas, the Joe Westleys, the [Cameron] Congreves, the Ethan Hamiltons – and we were very much without all these players for the next three games.

"And during those three games, from where we were for us to take two points was a really solid start for us. I think we would have bitten your hand off at that time when I looked where the squad was, what we were faced with, so to get those two points were really important.

"Now the challenge is to go from where we were just finding a way to get results, trying to be solid defensively, difficult to beat, to being a team that is a little bit more progressive."

While Pressley is striving to produce a team that will consistently deliver, he admits the journey to get to that point will be far from straightforward.

He said: "It is a challenge, fitting the players in, trying to get us to change. I will remind people, we were a team that lost more goals than any other team last season, so we are trying to become more solid but also we are trying to improve offensively.

"It is going to take time, it is going to take perseverance, it is going to take some real struggle, real difficulties.

"But I think we can get through this and I think we can start seeing some green shoots and we can eventually see a team that I really hope our supporters are proud of."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Dundee head coach Steven Pressley has been speaking to the media before the Premiership visit of Livingston this weekend.

Here are the key points from his news conference:

• On their failed bid to have Yan Dhanda's red card overturned, Pressley had hoped some "context" would have been factored in: "Yes, he has his foot up, but there was absolutely no intent there to injure the opposing player."

• Dundee are still searching for their first league win, but Pressley says there also needs to be context applied in terms of trying to build a team and players that have been at his disposal.

• He says "now the challenge" is to go from trying to be solid defensively and difficult to beat to being a team that is more progressive.

• Pressley adds: "I will remind people, we were a team that lost more goals than any other team last season so we are trying to become more solid but also we are trying to improve offensively."

• Amid their winless run he insists: "I think we can get through this and I think we can start seeing some green shoots and we can eventually see a team that I really hope our supporters are proud of."

• On the threat Livingston pose, Pressley says they have stability with David Martindale, who "has done a wonderful job", but it is important Dundee beat the teams around them.

• On signing Kieran O'Hara to take Dundee's number of goalkeepers to four, Pressley says he wants a squad where there is real competition for places and he plans to put Harry Sharp out on loan.

• Team news: As well as the suspended Dhanda, Paul Digby and Cesar Garza miss out but Charlie Reilly "comes back in to our thinking".

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The Scottish Premiership is already shaping up to be a curious campaign where victories appear hard to come by.

Only two teams - Celtic and Hearts - have managed more than one win.

Given that, there will be no panic stations at Dundee, who have yet to win having played five and lost two.

Steven Pressley's side will have been happy with draws at Rangers and Kilmarnock.

And coming back from a goal down to draw at home to a Motherwell side who have been playing some eye-catching football is also not a disaster.

However, like so many other teams, they know wins are needed - and quickly.

While there have been flickers of encouragement for Dundee, their second-half showing against the Steelmen being a case in point, Steven Pressley is still striving for consistency of performance from his new-look side.

If he can find it, a couple of wins could propel them up the congested table and put a very different complexion on things.

Even at this early stage of the campaign, the weekend visit of Livingston feels like a big a game in helping set the narrative for Dundee's season.

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Dundee have failed in their appeal against the red card shown to Yan Dhanda during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Motherwell at Dens Park.

The on-loan Hearts midfielder was sent off in the 85th minute for a raised-studs challenge on Lukas Fadinger.

That decision was upheld at a Scottish FA fast-track tribunal on Tuesday.

It means 26-year-old Dhanda will miss Premiership matches against Livingston and St Mirren.

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Former Kilmarnock goalkeeper Kieran O'Hara says Dundee is a "good fit" after signing for the Dens Park club until the end of the season.

The 29-year-old, capped twice for Republic of Ireland, was a free agent after two seasons at Rugby Park during which he made 27 appearances.

O'Hara, who began his career with Manchester United, said: "I'm delighted to get the deal over the line. It's a big club with a rich history.

"I didn't want to rush into anything, and I like to think that I did that, and I'm delighted to get the deal here as I think it is a good fit.

"I spoke with the gaffer and Glen [Johnson], the goalie coach, and players who have played here in the past, and they all spoke highly of the club.

"I've played at Dens before with Kilmarnock and it's a good stadium with good fans, so I'm really looking forward to it."

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

After a stale and stifled 45 minutes entirely lacking in invention, a change of shape and the introduction of Cameron Congreve finally brought Dundee to life last weekend.

By driving into the final third and taking risks on the ball, Congreve injected urgency and intent where before there had been hesitation.

If that second-half version of Dundee can be carried into Livingston, we'll put wins on the board and finally get some wind in our sails.

The cloud hanging over Saturday is Yan Dhanda's red card. The club have appealed, and while I disagree with the referee's decision, the 'letter of the law' probably gives enough cover for it to stand.

That leaves Dundee's main creative source, on paper, on the sidelines at a time when chance creation is already our glaring weakness.

But in every setback there's an opportunity. Congreve has shown he can change a game - now he may get the chance to start one. Saturday could be the day he steps out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

Motherwell are a good side, this lone point on the board may look like a better result in a few weeks, but Dundee have shown they have the capacity to go on the front foot and dictate the play.

Livingston are historically a tricky team to beat, they deserve more respect than they are credited with. However, if we fail to win then things will look very grim as Dundee have notched only one Premiership victory at Dens Park in 2025.

The sooner we record the first league win of the campaign, the sooner tensions with supporters will ease and bring them onside for the patience that head coach Steven Pressley has pleaded for.

Watch the Sportscene team discuss Dundee's performance in their 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw against Motherwell.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Luke Graham was eliminated by the pace of Tawanda Maswanhise as Motherwell opened the scoring on Saturday, but the Dundee defender redeemed himself with a superbly taken equalising header.

He finds a place in my team of the week as a result.

We asked for your views on Dundee's 1-1 draw with Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said...

Jimmy: First half was utter rubbish, second half was a vast improvement. The sending off was a bit dubious. No breaks, now all eyes on the next game. Another must win.

Gary: Steven Pressley said Cameron Congreve was "exceptional" when he came on, arguably he was the shining light in the derby yet he doesn't get a start. We showed intent at least for the first 15 minutes after half time but that slowed. Beforehand nobody wanted to take the initiative and Simon Murray runs himself into the ground but he's doing the work others players should be doing for him. If they step it up a bit and pass forward instead of looking to go backwards, we could be okay. So frustrating though.

Carl: The proverbial game of two halves. Motherwell gave us a seeing to in the first half but with a change of formation in the second, and more attacking intent we looked much better. We always play better with a back four. Young Luke Graham should be a permanent fixture, but not at left-back. Get him in the middle!

Jayeffel: First half was poor and could only get better. Early goal helped as did the introduction of Congreve. Simon Murray looked shattered and still say he needs someone up top with him not three behind him. Keeper made some good saves but let ball through his legs for the Motherwell goal.

Paul: First half was as poor as it gets for the Dee. When Congreve came on it made all the difference. If Simon Murray would have been a wee bit sharper in front of goal, we would've sneaked the three points.

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Cameron Congreve thinks Dundee benefitted from showing "a bit more courage" as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Motherwell.

The on-loan Swansea City winger was introduced at half-time and teed up captain Simon Murray shortly after the equaliser for what could have proved to be the winner.

"To be fair, I should have scored just before that as well," the 21-year-old said. "So I should have scored two maybe.

"I think it was a really good reaction second half and hopefully we can do that from minute one next week.

"I think Motherwell played really well first half, let's not take that away from them. I think they moved the ball really well, but I think we showed a really good reaction second half.

"Came out with a bit more energy, a bit more courage and moved the ball really well as well. I think we turned it around and probably could have won at the end as well."

Congreve hopes to build on last season, when he was a regular starter on loan to Bromley in League Two.

"I had a bit of first-team football a few years ago and then probably fell out of it a little bit," he explained. "Then, last year, it was nice to just get back playing and get the rhythm going.

"Hopefully, I can take that into this season now - what I learned last year."

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Dundee head coach Steven Pressley: "First half was a poor performance, we didn't really carry out the game plan.

"The pleasing factor was we got a response from the players in the second half. My belief is we played with greater energy and courage.

"[Cameron Congreve] was a main target for us in the summer and we weren't sure if it was going to happen. Thankfully it did.

"He's shown what an exciting talent he is. He was exceptional when he came on."