Dundee boss takes heart from past displays against Rangers

Paul Hartley is encouraged by Dundee's previous displays against Rangers as they seek their first point against the Ibrox club this season.

Dundee pressed hard for an equaliser in a 2-1 defeat at Dens Park in August and were seconds from claiming a point at Ibrox before Harry Forrester headed the only goal.

Mark Warburton has now departed the Rangers dugout with Graeme Murty in charge of the Light Blues for Sunday's Ladbrokes Premiership clash on Tayside.

Hartley said: "We've got to take heart from the two performances. The Ibrox one, probably a lack of concentration cost us with the final kick of the ball.

"We could have got something from the game, we had opportunities and didn't take them.

"The game here, the first 45 we sat off them too much. The second 45 was better.

"So we know we will give them a game, they have been fairly tight. We want to put a team on the park that performs.''

Dundee are unbeaten in six home Premiership games but are still looking for their first victory of 2017.

Defeats by St Mirren and Aberdeen were followed with draws against Inverness and Kilmarnock but Hartley feels they can take something from their most recent performances.

"The Inverness one was good up to a point where we conceded two sloppy goals, but overall the offensive performance was good,'' he said.

"Last week wasn't as good in terms of passing the ball but we still didn't get beat.

"We would have liked six points but we managed to pick up two so we would like to go into the game on Sunday and pick up maximum points.''

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• Paul Hartley
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