Dundee

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Steven Pressley wants his Dundee side to find a "killer mindset" when they host bottom-of-the-table Livingston on Saturday.

Tenth-placed Dundee fell to a 1-0 defeat against Falkirk on Wednesday which keeps them 12 points above Livi and three clear of Kilmarnock, having played a game more than the bottom two.

Pressley has been impressed with his side's performances but wants to address the issue of being the league's lowest scorers with just 19 goals from 25 fixtures.

"Our performance on Wednesday night is very typical of some of the performances of late where we did so many good things," said Pressley.

"We dominated big parts of the game, but we just lack that final moment, that final detail, and we need to see a little shift in the mindset.

"We need to find that 5%, that killer mindset in the box because we're getting into some great areas, great opportunities, but we have to find out an outcome, which is vitally important to ourselves moving forward.

"The one thing I would say is that it's going to be a really difficult game. In the two previous encounters, there's been very little between the sides. So I don't anticipate it being any different.

"They've obviously got a new manager in place, and it was very evident against Celtic on Wednesday night, you could see a lot of principles that Marvin Bartley is putting in place.

"He's had time on the training ground with no game at the weekend. So we expect a really tough challenge. They were very aggressive in many aspects of their play against Celtic.

"They were close to achieving a lot of good results during the previous manager, but I've seen a difference in certain aspects of their play, from Marvin on Wednesday night that I hadn't seen before."

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• Dundee (240) and Livingston (245) are the two sides to have had the fewest shots in the Scottish Premiership this season, while they are both in the top four for shots faced (Dundee 392, Livingston 379).

• Livingston have lost their past four league games, last losing five in a row in the Premiership in December 2023 (seven).

• Dundee have failed to score in four league matches, but haven't done so in five successive top-flight games since February 2013.

• Livingston have lost four of their past five Premiership games against Dundee (D1), as many as their previous 15 in the top flight beforehand (W6 D5 L4).

• Dundee have won their two home league games against newly-promoted sides Falkirk and Livingston this season; they had only won two of their previous 16 top-flight home matches against promoted opponents before this (D5 L9).

We asked for your views after Falkirk's 1-0 win over Dundee in which Steven Pressley's side missed a late penalty.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Flynn: We seem to be really struggling without Ashley Hay. Simon Murray has been nowhere near good enough for his standards. We controlled the game for most of it and deserved at least a point. Yan Dhanda misses the penalty but all the blame can't go on him, we shouldn't be relying on a penalty at the end of the game after dominating. Huge game on Saturday against Livingston, especially with teams around us playing tough opponents.

Gary: Too predictable, too slow to make subs and when we do they offer little as they're usually like for like. We need to do something different with the personnel we've got or we'll continue to be as far away from "safe" as Steven Pressley states. He's got to have the answer to this tricky time just now while we await injury returns.

Brian: We were poor in the final third, how many times in there did we pass to the opposition? Far too many. After a stellar performance last Saturday to this poor distribution and lack of penetration. Pressley was right, we are not out of this relegation battle, hopefully Saturday brings a win and a better performance.

Albert: A spirited performance again by Pressley's men. Just lacking goals as we're playing fantastic football. Dust ourselves down and onwards to the next match.

Watch all the highlights as Falkirk scraped a 1-0 win over Dundee as the visitors missed a late penalty. Available to UK users only

Ben Broggio's first Falkirk goal propelled the dogged hosts past Dundee and level on points with fifth-placed Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.

Read the match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Dundee manager Steven Pressley tells BBC Scotland: "Considering the conditions, the players attitude towards the game was amazing. We controlled long periods, found ourselves in really good areas, but it's been the story of late - we just need to find that final action.

"We had the penalty in the final minute but no criticism of Yan Dhanda - he's been an outstanding performer and gives so much to the team.

"The truth is, we've never thought we are out of this [relegation fight]. I've reminded the players constantly we have got so much hard work ahead of us.

"We have to get the end product which is the only thing missing from our performance."

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• Both league matches between Falkirk and Dundee this season have been home wins, with the Bairns notching their first victory of the campaign by beating Steven Pressley's side 2-1 in October.

• Dundee have won three of their past five Scottish Premiership games against newly-promoted opponents (D1 L1), as many as their previous 16 beforehand (W3 D5 L8).

• Falkirk have won five of their past eight league games (L3), as many as their first 17 of the season beforehand (W5 D6 L6).

• Only Livingston (zero) have fewer away wins in the Premiership this season than Dundee (one), who have scored just five goals on the road this term, the fewest of any side.

• Dundee's Ethan Hamilton has had more shots without scoring than any player in the Scottish Premiership this season (38). Thirty of those shots have been from outside the box, with his expected goals tally at just 1.42 (0.037 xG per shot).

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Dundee may have a 12-point gap over bottom club Livingston, but Steven Pressley is adamant his side side still have plenty to prove and are "far" from safety.

Largely written off at the start of the season due to a dismal League Cup campaign and two wins from 10 games in the league, Pressley has won critics over with a few big scalps and brave performances.

But the boss himself thinks his side still have some way to go.

Pressley, whose side visit high-flying Falkirk on Wednesday night, said: "People are saying to me, you'll be fine. No, we're not fine. Far, far from it.

"We have to prove to ourselves, first and foremost, that we should be a Premiership club next season. That's the challenge for us, but we haven't proved that yet.

"Although people have talked of late improvements in us and in our performances, the season isn't over a three-month period. It's over the entirety of the season.

"We still have to prove to ourselves that we are worthy of staying in the Premiership, and that starts again tomorrow with a really, really tough fixture against a club I have a lot of admiration for because they're doing a lot of things right.

"They've got stability around the squad, they have stability around the manager [John McGlynn].

"They've been together now for best part of four years, and in that time they've had tremendous growth as a team and as individuals, and they have a real trust in how they do things.

"So when you look at results in the last eight, they've only lost twice and that's been to Celtic.

"But within that, they've won at Tynecastle, they've beaten Hibernian at home, they've beaten St Mirren away, they've beaten Aberdeen.

"So their form is really impressive. So, make no mistake, it's going to take another effort like we had on Saturday to have any chance of getting anything from this game."

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Falkirk midfielder Brad Spencer (ankle) is a doubt and Kyrell Wilson (calf) drops out but Liam Henderson will be available after recovering from a calf injury.

Ben Parkinson (ankle) and Ethan Williams (thigh) remain out.

Dundee could hand a debut to Lewis Montsma. They remain without centre-backs Billy Koumetio (knee) and Clark Robertson (thigh) plus forwards Joe Westley (ankle) and Ashley Hay (broken toe).

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

It's the hope that kills you and the reality buries you into the ground.

We're left with a combination of feeling immensely proud and sickeningly distraught after being a mere moment from making history at Celtic Park before the result was snatched away with the last kick.

Over the 90 minutes we did 9.9/10 things right. Unfortunately in these kind of games you're fighting an uphill battle for the full duration and always require an element of fortune to see out results.

We can hold our heads high not just from Saturday but from every performance in Glasgow this season. We've developed a mentality of going there without fear and long may that continue.

I think Dundee captured a lot of hearts at the weekend. They gave it everything and deserved to be on the winning side of that Scottish Cup tie.

At our current trajectory, we're a team that are growing stronger. The new signings all look promising and complement the nucleus of our young team.

Dundee have the youngest team in the division with an average age of 24.6 - at this stage of the 'rebuild' things look encouraging for the long term.

In the meantime, we just need to win as many games as possible and see how high we can finish.

A top-six spot is very likely to be out of our grasp. Still, crazier things have happened in Scottish football. If the Celtic game teaches any lesson it's that the result is never final before that last whistle blows.

We asked for your thoughts after Dundee were beaten in extra-time by Celtic to end their Scottish Cup campaign.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Innes: A great team effort from the Dee. No criticism from me. If we can perform to that standard going forward we will be looking down at five other teams. Well done Dundee.

Alex: Outstanding performance from Dundee, deserved to go through into the hat for the next round but a dodgy decision from the referee cost us the game. Players were phenomenal, Steven Pressley again proving the performances would come. Pressley has definitely won all of the fans over and if we can continue to play like this, the future looks bright.

John: Fabulous team effort. We were really unlucky not to have gone through 1-0. Losing a goal in the dying seconds was heart-wrenching. I do think we got away with a penalty claim though, albeit VAR cleared it on a technicality. I don't think we could complain if Celtic got that penalty. Overall the wrong team went through to quarter-finals.

George: Congratulations to Dundee they played very well. If only the first Celtic goal had not gone in. Keep this up to the end of the season and we should be safe. Now pick yourselves up and beat Falkirk this week

Albert: Best performance from Dundee in over 20 years. So unfortunate to not get over the line. I feel sorry for our fabulous manager. Moving in the right direction finally which is very pleasing

Gary: Gutted. A goal worthy of winning any game, a captain's performance and one full of effort by the whole team. It took added on, added on, added on, time to undo us but their subs told in the end. Really thought we had it there, but that kind of endeavour can see us good going forward.

Substitutes Sebastian Tounekti and Junior Adamu dramatically rescued Celtic as Martin O'Neill's side beat Dundee in extra time to reach the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

MATCH REPORT

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Dundee manager Steven Pressley: "We gave so much. We left nothing out there. If we'd manage to see out one more attack, I think it would've been a very well deserved victory.

"Obviously, there was the five minutes we'd already seen out. We were a minute and a half into further stoppage time and we thought we were there. I thought we'd got there, I really did. I don't have a quibble, I'm just extremely disappointed.

"Credit to clubs like Celtic, they have that never say die attitude and they score a lot of late goals.

"Ethan Hamilton has been an immense signing for us. Probably the one thing we'd like to see more of from him is goals and that certainly was up there with some of the best."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Dundee striker Simon Murray says he is feeling injury free for the first time this season and believes the prolific scorer he has been in recent years "is still in there".

Murray, 33, has netted 66 goals over the past three campaigns for Queen's Park, Ross County and his current employers.

That is in stark contrast to this term where he has scored just three times and flitted in and out of the starting line-up.

Speaking before Saturday's Scottish Cup fifth-round trip to play Celtic, Murray said: "I have had a frustrating year off the back of such a good one last year and the season before.

"From the start of the season I have been playing through a lot of niggling injuries and things like that and it probably wasn't until maybe three or four weeks ago I have actually felt injury free.

"Obviously where we were at the start of the year, I felt like I needed to push through and play through and it was probably detrimental to my performances.

"But if you asked me to do the same again I would do it. I just felt it was the right thing to do at the time because we were obviously a new group and the manager put a lot of faith in me."

Murray's scoring form over the last few years prompted a debate over whether he should be called up to the Scotland squad.

And while it has been a different story this season, he is confident he will get back on the goals trail regularly.

He said: "Coming out of the team and really getting myself back to where I know I can be, it has been a good thing for me.

"I went away and trained I felt like my best period in training, the last six to eight weeks, so it has really got me back to a level where I feel like I can get back to what I was doing last season.

"And you know that same player is still in there. That was only seven or eight months ago so it is up to me now.

"I thought St Mirren [Dundee's last game] was probably my best output in terms of what I was like, my energy and my running, so I just need to get that first goal and hopefully it is like a bus, you wait for one and then they all come."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Dundee manager Steven Pressley has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Scottish Cup fifth-round trip to play Celtic.

Here are the main points:

• On the postponement of Wednesday's league visit of Motherwell because of a waterlogged pitch, Pressley says Dundee's groundstaff "were in the stadium trying to get the game on until four in the morning".

• He says the amount of rain that has fallen is illustrated by the fact "we have trained one day on grass up here in five weeks".

• Pressley admits the trip to Celtic wasn't the draw they wanted but stresses they have to "go there with real intent" and embrace it.

• The Dundee boss says "we have some good experiences this season against Celtic" and wants his team to "have a go" against a very good side with top players and "an excellent manager and staff".

• Dundee have never won away to Celtic in the Scottish Cup but Pressley insists his team "embrace that kind of statistic".

• He believes striker Simon Murray, who has scored just three goals this season, "has a renewed confidence about him".

• Some Celtic fans could boycott Saturday's game, but Pressley "hopes there is a big Celtic support there". He says when there is a large crowd they can turn on the team and "create a nervousness".

• Team news: No fresh injuries and Dundee's three deadline-day signings - Scott Wright, Lewis Montsma and Aldahir Valenzuela - are all available.

On-loan Birmingham forward Scott Wright says he chose Dundee over other offers because the style of play will help re-ignite his career. (The Courier)

An umbrella group of Celtic fans has formally called on rank and file supporters to boycott the Scottish Cup tie against Dundee on Saturday evening. (Scottish Sun)

We asked for your thoughts on Dundee's business in the January transfer window.

Here's what some of you said:

Gary: Obviously keeping Luke Graham can be huge for us. Thankfully on this occasion we weren't bullied, or tempted, into an undervalue release. Overall I'm optimistic about the prospects after the window, we've brought in options further up the park and in defence so it's all about how they gel and keeping them fit.

Paul: Probably the strongest January window we've had in a long time. Keeping Graham is a massive step and shows great intent. We've brought in players in vital positions and when the injured players come back we should have a decent second half of the season.

Mark: Definitely came out of the window stronger. Keeping Graham is great news. A few seasons ago we would have let him go for next to nothing so we seem to be moving in the right direction. Scott Wright came out of left field but great bit of business if he can stay fit.

Willie: Dundee's use of the transfer window is uninspiring. Two players in who have both had cruciate ligament damage and can break down anytime. The much vaunted new recruitment team and strategy is lacking in imagination and seems to be second rate compared with other teams talent spotting.

Roberto: Two strikers in is very good. Another centre back is also good. Retaining Graham until at least the summer might be the best "move" of all though.

Kieran: Generally pleased with the signings, all in areas we needed to strengthen. Slightly disappointed not to have a target man brought in up front. The most important bit of business was holding firm and keeping Graham. Credit to the club on that one - it could be the difference between us fighting at the bottom or looking upwards.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

At the end of last month I was extolling the virtues of Ashley Hay and how he was starting to provide a body of evidence to suggest he could be the answer to Dundee's goal scoring problem.

Then he got injured, joining fellow front man Joe Westley on the sidelines.

It was a situation which certainly left head coach Steven Pressley light in terms of striking threat.

But he moved swiftly to try and remedy that issue on a busy transfer deadline day which saw two of his three signings – Aldahir Valenzuela and Scott Wright - brought in to supplement his attacking options.

While the former, an 18-year-old Mexican, is very much an unknown quantity – Wright isn't.

If he stays fit, the former Aberdeen and Rangers winger – who has joined on loan from Birmingham City – is the kind of player who has the potential to make a difference for Pressley's side.

During his 120 appearances for Rangers across all competitions he scored 12 goals and seven assists. In his 76 league games, he created 48 chances, eight big chances, and played 594 passes ending in the final third.

He has the ability to unlock a defence, has an eye for goal , and probably feels he has a bit of a point to prove having had his time in England disrupted by a knee injury.

Given all of the above you feel the acquisition of Wright has the potential to be one of the shrewdest bits of deadline day business across the Scottish Premiership.

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• Dundee have lost three of their last four league games against Motherwell (D1), after having only lost one of their previous seven beforehand (W3 D3).

• Both teams have scored in each of Dundee's last five home league matches against Motherwell (nine Dundee goals, eight Motherwell), although the Steelmen have only lost one of these visits (W2 D2).

• Dundee have won five of their last eight home league games (L3), although lost their last 0-1 to Hearts in January. The Dee last suffered successive home league defeats in August.

• Motherwell are unbeaten in their last seven midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W5 D2) since a 0-1 defeat at Hearts in January 2025.

• Dundee's Simon Murray has been directly involved in six goals in his last 10 league appearances against Motherwell (four goals, two assists), although hasn't scored in any of his four Scottish Premiership games against them at Dens Park.