Dundee’s Jon McCracken admits his confidence dropped last season – but now he wants No 1 spot back.

New manager Steven Pressley has yet to name his first-choice custodian, but McCracken is doing everything he can to get the nod against Hibs on Sunday.

Jon McCracken admits his confidence suffered after being dropped last season, but it has returned, and he is determined to reclaim the No. 1 jersey at Dundee.

On Sunday, the 25-year-old will compete with Trevor Carson, a more experienced player, for the spot between the sticks.

The Premiership season begins with Hibernian at Dens Park, and Steven Pressley’s custodian selection will be closely watched.

The new head coach at Dundee had no preconceived notions about who would be his custodian. Rather, he wanted both goalkeepers to play two competitive League Cup group stage matches before making a decision.

McCracken played the final two games, both of which Dundee won, and kept a clean sheet in the most recent; he now feels like he has regained his confidence.

Confidence

“The manager has been really positive towards me and that has given me my confidence back,” said the worker.

“It came out of me in the middle of last season, but it is back now. “The season began well for me; I had the jersey, played in a number of games, and received a Scotland call-up. “It hit me quickly when I returned from Scotland and was back on the bench.

“Small things like that make it difficult to establish a rhythm. It’s difficult to have both a cup goalie and a league goalie situation, and it was the first time I’d had that.

“As a custodian, the most important thing is consistency, so the second half of the season proved difficult for me.

“I don’t want to dwell on what happened last season because it’s a new year, and we have a new manager and goaltender coach. “So it feels different coming back in.

“The gaffer just told me it’s a new start for everyone, so it’s up to me to make the position mine again.

“Trevor and I are still fighting, and nobody knows what will happen. “We split the pre-season games and the cup games, so we’ll see who gets the nod against Hibs.”

Optimistic

Over the summer, Dundee has undergone significant changes. Pressley has brought in a new backroom staff, including Glen Johnson as custodian coach, and there has also been a significant change in the playing squad.

Things got off to a bad start, with two defeats in the first two League Cup games, knocking them out of the competition in quick succession.

But McCracken is optimistic about the future of Dens Park. He went on to say, “It has been a significant change because it includes not only new players, but also the manager, goalie coach, coaching staff, a new sports scientist, and David Longwell.

“So it’s been a significant turnaround, but I’m very optimistic about it; it has a really good feel to it.

“It actually feels like coming into a new club almost because so many things are different.

Clean slate

“Everyone has the opportunity to impress the manager because they are starting from scratch. “For the boys who were here last season, he has no loyalty to anyone, which is good, and I’m looking forward to it.”

“It hasn’t been the best start, but while I know there will be noise outside, everyone is very calm inside. “It’s a really calm environment this year; everyone is really relaxed, and we know there’s pressure, but it’s not from within.

“Everyone fully supports what the manager is doing; everyone has thoroughly enjoyed it thus far, and the more we work with him, the better we understand what he wants.

“There is always noise at football clubs. If you’re not winning the league, there are some areas where you can improve, to be honest. “So there will be noises made, but within the walls here we’re really confident.”

Scotland hopes

So what about Scotland? McCracken received his first call-up to the senior squad last season. Since then, national team manager Steve Clarke has struggled to find fit goalkeepers. Is McCracken chasing a carrot? “I don’t want to run before I can walk because I need to get back to being a No 1 club custodian,” he told reporters.

“If I don’t play here at Dundee, I won’t get a Scotland call-up, so I need to focus on what’s in front of me, not two or three months ahead.”

“Obviously, seeing the situation with Scotland was frustrating because, in the back of my mind, I was thinking that if I had kept playing, something could have happened to the national team.

“It’s the end goal for every player but the main focus is on getting my place for Dundee back.”

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