Steven Pressley delighted Dundee side-stepped Bonnyrigg banana skin as he picks out crucial factor in win.

The Dark Blues won 3-1 at Ferguson Park. Dundee avoided the Bonnyrigg banana skin, according to Steven Pressley, as the new Dark Blues manager recorded his first win in charge.

The Premiership side left it late against the Lowland League outfit, but they won 3-1 in a League Cup dead rubber.

But Pressley was relieved to see his players show some character after a disastrous start to the season. “Coming here tonight on the back of two disappointing results, the pitch being a real leveller with how it was, this was a real banana skin for us,” according to the Dundee manager.

“So I’m very pleased with the players tonight because they demonstrated a real mentality under increasing pressure as the clock ran down. “It was far from vintage but they worked out a way to win the game and it gets us up and running.”

Nervy start

It wasn’t pretty, but Dundee finally got the job done. An early scare caused concern when Billy King, formerly of Dundee United, forced a good save from Jon McCracken.

However, the first goal of Pressley’s tenure arrived after 20 minutes. It was not aesthetically pleasing. Clark Robertson pushed the ball over the line following a goalmouth scramble.

As much as that calmed the nerves, they were back on track after 36 minutes, with Rosey Posey scoring a fine equaliser. Cammy Ross started the move by holding off Ryan Astley before finishing with a fine diving header.

Late changes

Following the break, chances came and went, but it did not appear that another goal would be scored. But a change with 25 minutes remaining provided much-needed energy to the Dundee side, with four new faces and a switch to a back three.

Chances were coming but not going in. Until two late set-pieces did the damage, giving the Dark Blues their first win of the season.

Both came from the left, were swung in by Imari Samuels, and then headed home. Emile Acquah scored his first goal for the club on 86 minutes, making the score 2-1, before Billy Koumetio sealed the deal.

Set-piece danger

The Dark Blues manager admits there was some relief at the end, but he was pleased to see his replacements make an impact.

“We were a little bit disjointed in the first half,” Pressley admitted. “We made some adjustments in the second half and played much better, so I’m very happy. “It was nice to see the substitutes come in and play important roles as well.

“They improved the quality of the bench. Jones played well in his first 30 minutes, and Emile Acquah scored from the bench. “Tony Yogane came on and gave us something unique. “I was pleased to score three goals from set plays because we had worked so hard on them thus far.

“It was a difficult night, but there were some positive aspects in the performance. “We need to keep building now and make sure we’re really competitive in that first game of the league season.” Dundee’s League Cup group stage campaign concludes on Saturday with a home match against Montrose.

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