Steven Pressley hails ‘pivotal’ Dundee star as he reveals plan for break.

Clark Robertson will be Dundee’s “pivotal player” this season. Steven Pressley, the Dark Blues’ manager, heaped praise on his stand-in captain following his Man of the Match performance against Rangers on Saturday.

Robertson hit the post in the first half before doing it again shortly after, this time from an offside position.

He also contributed an assist on Ryan Astley’s opening goal. But he won the award, given to him by his old manager Tony Docherty at Ibrox, for his defensive performance.

Robertson, there to deny everything in the centre of defence, marshalled those around him, including assisting two very young defenders, Astley and Luke Graham, in producing outstanding performances.

‘Amazing’

And manager Pressley could not be happier with the centre-back. “He’s been amazing since I’ve come in here,” Pressley said. “I believe he is a key player for us moving forward.

“We lost Shaughnessy during the summer there. “I think players like Clark are important when you’re trying to build something. “He not only accepts information, but he also sets standards for the football club.

I’m very pleased with him. “But he was one of 13 or 14 people who worked really hard today. I saw performances from some players I hadn’t seen before. “They really stepped up to it.”

Joe Westley

Joe Westley, who made his debut, also stepped up. Signed as a striker, the former Burnley player worked hard on the right side of midfield at Ibrox. “He made a terrific debut.

His work ethic and willingness to do the dirty work for the team were admirable,” Pressley added.

“And he demonstrated some excellent technical skills. “So, yeah, I was really pleased with him.”

Two bounce games

Dundee will now have to wait until their next fixture because the League Cup second round matches have caused a break in Premiership action.

With a lot of work to do on his team, Pressley intends to make the most of his time on the training ground. “It will be good to have a break,” he added.

“We’ve actually scheduled two friendlies for next Thursday because I want to give each player 90 minutes. “Because you can see there, even now, we have some players who are still behind in terms of fitness.

“Players like Callum Jones, who arrived late, were struggling. “He got a cramp near the end of the game. “So we need to use this time to build.”

Read more on Straightwinfortoday.com