Steven Pressley ‘excited but apprehensive’ ahead of first derby as Dundee boss

Steven Pressley is experiencing mixed emotions as he prepares for his first Tayside derby as Dundee boss on Sunday.

The 51-year-old, appointed to the post in June, has yet to win in three William Hill Premiership games with a defeat and two draws.

However, the former Falkirk, Fleetwood Town and Carlisle boss hopes to get his first three points when Dundee United visit.

“Excited by it, apprehensive, as you can imagine,” he said.

“It’s obviously a great game, a great spectacle, and it’s proved to be that in recent times.

“I think there’s a real sense within the group that they’re excited by the prospect of the game but equally there’s a lot of calmness around the group.

“I really enjoyed the work this week, I’ve really enjoyed working with the players and we’re certainly looking forward to it.

“Any stage of the season, it (a win) is a great result, we know how important it is to the city of Dundee and to our supporters.

“We’ve got some stability in the last couple of games with two positive results. We want to continue to build on that, and winning a derby, of course, gives your supporters and your club an enormous lift. So we’re well aware of the importance of the game.

“There’s a quiet confidence around us. There’s a growing confidence.

“Around the performance, I’m giving you no assurances other than you’ll get a really honest performance from this group of players.

“I say it time and time again, I’m very fortunate to work with this group of players. They’re a group that all want to improve, all want to better themselves and it’s a real credit to them.”

Dundee have not beaten their city rivals in the league at home in nine years and it irks Pressley.

He said: “Dundee have performed well in recent derby games. They’ve won the last two, but a really interesting stat is that in the league, we’ve not won Dens Park since 2016, which is quite incredible.

“It’s a statistic we’d like to put right, but it’s going to take a big performance in order to do that.”