Steven Pressley: Dundee won derby on grit and determination, not ‘Pressleyball’

Steven Pressley joked that there was no “Pressleyball” on show as he hailed his “courageous” Dundee side for digging out a 2-0 derby victory away to city rivals Dundee United.

Drey Wright opened the scoring late in the first half before Owen Bevan notched in the 57th minute as the Dark Blues made it three wins in their last four visits to Tannadice.

Pressley’s side are now joint top of the fledgling William Hill Premiership table with Celtic and St Mirren on the six-point mark – albeit having played a game more than most of their rivals – after making it two wins from their opening three league matches.

The jubilant Dundee fans bounced out of Tannadice singing “Pressley, Pressleyball” to the tune of Daddy Cool by Boney M, but the manager smiled: “Not today, it wasn’t!

“I was probably a bit more animated than usual today because we obviously set out with a tactical game plan and we carried virtually none of it out.

“Truth be told, I didn’t see evidence of hardly any of our detail today, but what it did show me is that derby games are not won on tactical detail.

“They’re won on courage, they’re won on determination, they’re won on grit, all the things that my players served up today, so I couldn’t be prouder.

“We’ve spoken in the week about how we find ways to win away from home, and I think that was a good example of it. You don’t always need to play particularly well, but when you show that determination you’ve got a chance.”

Pressley revealed that captain Simon Murray, sidelined long-term after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage against Aberdeen last weekend, played a prominent role in helping his team off the field.

“He was in the dressing room before the game, half-time, after the game,” said the manager.

“He’s got a huge role to play. The players listen to him, they respond to him, he’s got a big influence in the group. Although he wasn’t playing today, he was there in spirit.

“Last week at Aberdeen, the injury to Simon definitely, in my opinion, had an effect on the group. It had an effect on myself, that I do know. But that win was very much for him.”

United endured a demoralising evening as they went down to a third straight defeat in all competitions without scoring a goal to remain second-bottom with just one point from their three Premiership matches.

“I know what this game is all about, at the end of the day, it’s all about winning games, results are what matter most,” said boss Jim Goodwin.

“I don’t need to look at the stats from the game today to see that we’ve probably had more possession of the ball, more attempts on goal, more penalty box entries, more dangerous attacks, but it counts for nothing if we don’t have the three points to show for it at the end of it.”