Tote bag over the shoulder and grinning ear to ear, Steven Pressley led his players the short walk down Tannadice Street for Saturday’s Dundee derby.
Twelve months prior, the head coach was still trying to win over disgruntled fans of the Dens Park club after his arrival sparked fury among the support.
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Then followed a League Cup group exit after back-to-back defeats to lower-league opposition and a five-game winless start to the Scottish Premiership season.
The fourth fixture of that five-match run was a 2-0 home defeat to rivals Dundee United. Pressure was intensifying on the 52-year-old.
A year on, the same scoreline was in the favour of Pressley’s side as the former defender continues to the defy what was initially expected of him.
That derby loss last August left Dundee second bottom of the table. On Saturday, the away fans bounced out of Tannadice with their team second from top.
“I’m immensely proud of this group of players,” Pressley told BBC Scotland.
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“Derby games are never won on tactical detail, they’re won on spirit and determination and I think we had than in abundance.”
Game plan irrelevant as Dundee show grit
Always calm and straight-talking, Pressley hailed his players’ character post-match at Tannadice but said they did not actually do what he had asked of them.
“We didn’t carry out any part of [the game plan] to be honest,” he told BBC Scotland. “But what was very apparent in our performance was the grit and determination that your supporters are generally so proud of.”
Stretching back to the end of last term, when Dundee survived with three victories in the final four league games, Pressley’s side have now won five of their past seven Premiership matches.
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As ever, the head coach was measured about his side’s expectations following the win, but behind closed doors they will be determined to improve on last season’s eighth-placed finish.
“What’s most pleasing is that the three league games have been incredibly difficult games,” Pressley added. “But there’s a spirit and togetherness about us just now that is serving us well.”
The Pressley redemption arc
Viewed as a joke figure by many this time last year, former Carlisle boss Pressley’s endearing personality is a big reason why players seem to enjoy playing under him.
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But that should not detract from his on-field coaching, which has clearly developed during four years at thriving Premier League club Brentford.
Pressley’s south-of-the-border contacts have helped Dundee work magic in the loan market over the past year, but much of the team is made of odds and ends from Scottish football.
Arbroath midfielder Ryan Flynn, who worked with Pressley at Falkirk, told BBC Scotland that his former boss is a master at instilling confidence in players and nurturing a positive environment for them to excel in.
Versatile Drey Wright, scorer of the derby opener on Saturday, has become a valuable part part of the team since joining from St Johnstone.
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Alan Forrest has been picked up after being discarded by Hearts, while fellow forwards Charlie Reilly and Joe Bevan were Albion Rovers players only a few years ago.
Second goalscorer Owen Bevan was on loan at Hibernian in 2024 but failed to make an appearance. The centre-back was fantastic alongside Ryan Astley during periods of suffering in an impressive derby win.
“Sometimes winning away from home is being comfortable with the uncomfortable and we did that at times,” Pressley said.
“It was no tactical detail that won us the game today, it was a group of players that were determined not to lose that derby and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
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