Tony Docherty: Dundee showed quality in Rangers loss but game management is key

Tony Docherty believes Dundee have the quality to escape the relegation zone but after letting slip a 3-1 lead over Rangers to lose 4-3 he admits better game management is key.

The home side were good value for their 2-0 first-half lead through goals from Simon Murray and Joe Shaughnessy but the Dundee captain scored an own goal just before the break to give Gers a lifeline.

However, when Scott Tiffoney made it 3-1 in the 62nd minute it looked like Dundee would go on to take all three points, but goals from James Tavernier and Tom Lawrence levelled the match before Cyriel Dessers scored a dramatic winner in the third minute of added time.

The bruising defeat left the Dark Blues still in the relegation play-off spot in the William Hill Premiership, one point behind Kilmarnock and five points ahead of bottom side St Johnstone with seven fixtures remaining.

Docherty told DEETV: “It does show you that (we have the quality). That’s the thing, when the dust settles, we need to focus on that we’ve got enough in the team to make sure that we win games, we see games out.

“We’re getting towards the end of the season, we’ve got seven games now, it’s important that – and it was a learning curve on Saturday – when we get in that position again, we need to see games out.

“We do need to manage the game.

“I’ve said that all season, we’ve had experience on the pitch and the personalities on the pitch need to make sure we see that out and we didn’t do that.

“And that’s the reason why we are having this aftermath at the moment. That feeling won’t go away until we go into training and until we get set and get ready for St Mirren coming here. We need to make sure we put that right that.

“The goal scoring, we keep that going, keep that positive, but the concession of goals, we need address and make that better.”