Dundee 0-0 Dundee United: Relegation form haunting Dundee; Courts keeping United new boys waiting; English loanee provides boost for McPake

Intro

It may only be on goal difference but Dundee’s slide back to the bottom of the Premiership table for the first time since October has to set alarm bells ringing for James McPake and his squad.

The point they garnered from the attritional goalless draw at home to Dundee United was only the second they have picked up in a run of eight consecutive winless league fixtures.

That’s relegation form by anyone’s reckoning and while McPake has no reason to push the panic button with 15 games left to play, he will appreciate a turnaround in results has to happen pretty soon.

Saturday’s home game with Ross County - five points above them and having played a game more - now takes on added significance for Dundee.

With just one win from their last 10 league games, Dundee United are hardly pulling up any trees themselves in the current form table.

But more solid work in the first three months of the season laid a platform which has a top-six finish still firmly within reach of Tam Courts’ side who are only four points behind fourth-placed Motherwell.

Courts will hope United can gather fresh momentum once new midfield arrivals Tim Akinola and Kevin McDonald - both unused substitutes on Tuesday night - are up to speed and ready to make an impact.

While the final outcome was disappointing for Dundee, they can take heart from the debuts of deadline-day arrivals Vontae Daley-Campbell and Zak Rudden.

Leicester City loanee Daley-Campbell displayed verve and pace as an attacking right-back before running out of gas, while striker Rudden was unfortunate not to break the deadlock as he made a bright impact when he came on midway through the second half.

Dundee, who in Paul McMullan had the outstanding performer in a contest where flair was