Who are Dundee FC starlets set for Youth Cup Final showdown?
Dundee U/18s are going for glory at Hampden this evening.
They take on Kilmarnock with the 2024/25 Scottish Youth Cup at stake.
It's been a long time since any Dark Blues side has made it to a Hampden cup final.
And a good crowd is expected to make the journey to Glasgow.
Those not heading to the national stadium can tune in on BBC Scotland at 7.20pm.
But who will they be watching?
Courier Sport gives the lowdown on the Dundee youngsters in action.
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 15
Born: Arbroath
Info: Has been with Dundee since age 8
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 16
Born: Kirkcaldy
Info: Trialist from Kelty Hearts
Position: Full-Back
Age: 18
Born: Montrose
Info: Won the Midlands League at the weekend on loan at Dundee North End. Has been with Dundee since age 8
Position: Right-Back
Age: 16
Born: Dundee
Info: Has been with Dundee since age 8
Position: Left-Back
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Position: Defender
Age: 18
Born: Aberdeen
Info: Opened the scoring in the quarter-final win over Banks O' Dee. Has been with Dundee since age 8.
Position: Defender
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Info: Identical twin brother of Luca Perrie, who is also in the squad.
Position: Defender
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Position: Defender
Age: 15
Born: Dundee
Info: Has been with Dundee since age 8
Position: Midfielder
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Info: Spent first half of the season on loan at Brechin City. Scored both goals in semi-final win at St Mirren. Has been with Dundee since age 8.
Position: Midfielder
Age: 18
Born: Dundee
Info: Captain has been with the club since age 8 after playing with Michael Hunter and Seb Lochhead at Ferry Athletic.
Position: Midfielder
Age: 17
Born: Aberdeen
Position: Midfielder
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Info: Has been with Dundee since age 8
Position: Midfielder
Age: 16
Born: Dundee
Info: Recently signed his first professional contract with Dundee until 2028. Has been with Dundee since age 8.
Position: Midfielder
Age: 15
Born: Arbroath
Info: Has been with Dundee since age 8
Position: Midfielder
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Info: Son of former Dundee United, Aberdeen and Celtic midfielder Willo Flood.
Position: Wide Midfielder
Age: 17
Born: Arbroath
Info: Son of Dundee coach Scott Paterson, a former Partick Thistle and Bristol City defender.
Position: Wide Midfielder
Age: 15
Born: Dundee
Info: At Dundee since age 8
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Info: At Dundee since age 8
Position: Striker
Age: 17
Born: Perth
Position: Striker
Age: 17
Born: Dundee
Info: Identical twin brother of Cole Perrie, who is also in the squad. Scored in the quarter-final win over Banks O' Dee.
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The new and improved Elvis is in the building... and Steven Pressley says he's returned to Scotland with a smaller ego but a determination to succeed at Dundee
Crossing the border en route to Dundee, Steven Pressley had plenty of time to reflect on the various personalities who populated the Scottish game when he made the journey in reverse 12 years ago. One figure in particular gave him cause to wince just a little. He takes comfort from knowing this character is now reformed. 'I am very much a different person to the one who left Scotland with a big ego going down to conquer England,' he claimed. 'I return with a much smaller ego, but with much more knowledge and experience. I think I return a much more authentic guy.' It was the harsh reality of management which took him down a peg or two. Pressley had some notable success at Coventry, but was eventually sacked in 2015. It ended that way at his last posting with Carlisle, too, six years ago. In between, he resigned from his job at Fleetwood. He quickly appreciated that his inaugural posting at Falkirk had been only the first page of his learning in his chosen field. Soon after being appointed Brentford's head of individual development in 2021, his ongoing quest for personnel development took him to Liverpool University where he immersed himself in a course in Strategic Leadership. 'I've just finished my degree,' he revealed. 'One of the things that I most enjoyed about it was self-reflection and looking at how I was as a leader and how I can improve as a leader. 'When I was a player, I was generally a captain. And then I went from that to being a manager almost immediately. 'And you almost, through your title alone, can make people do things. 'Then you go into a job, which I was involved in for four years, where you don't. You have to build relationships. 'You have to manage people in different ways. And it's been brilliant education for me. So, I think I've changed a lot. 'I'm a lot calmer, a lot more controlled, a much smaller ego. 'I think part of that has been that when you're a young manager, you want to take on the world. 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The Courier
8 hours ago
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GEORGE CRAN: My first impression of new Dundee boss Steven Pressley
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Confident and clear in what is required of him. But fans expecting a boss with soundbites will have to wait. This is a head coach where reading beyond the headlines will be required. The reaction to his appointment from supporters was extreme. Some of it understandable. Not being in frontline management for five-and-a-half years is a massive risk taken by the club. In this situation, a lot of coaches would have entered their unveiling laying out their big ambitions to bring the glory days back to Dens Park. There was a mention of those with a nod to one of his mentors, Archie Knox, early on. However, it is clear Pressley is not like other football managers or head coaches. Very few of his answers, to a whole range of questions, sounded like PR and there was an honesty about the job at hand at Dundee but also about his own managerial CV. Some will jump all over the admission that winning cups and leagues isn't in his background as a manager. However, this sort of honesty is something to be praised in a sport full to the brim of bull. 'Like all management it very much depends on what lens you're looking through,' he said. 'If you are a Dundee supporter looking for a manager with a history of producing titles and winning honours then I'm not your man. 'I'm perfectly honest, I've not demonstrated that yet. 'I hope I can demonstrate that moving forward but my career to date doesn't suggest that. 'But certainly from a development perspective and certainly from creating a style of play and the way a team performs I have demonstrated that over the course. 'I would like to think the four or five years I've had out of football management, not just the education within Brentford as a club, but I have been working on my uni degree, all of those in the mix I hope brings a different type of leadership than before. 'Hopefully with that type of leadership we can bring success.' His message to Dundee fans concerned about his appointment was very brief – he didn't have one! It is certainly a novel way to approach the fanbase right off the bat. But there was a quick appreciation of what is needed to win over unconvinced supporters. Just one thing – win games. Asked if he had something to say to fans, Pressley replied: 'I have no real message, I've been in football 35 years so I understand how the business works. 'The only way to win supporters over is by getting results, so it's my job to do that. 'I also realise that sometimes there has to be a period of growth before you get to where you want to be. 'That's all part of the management, the strength of the leadership within this organisation. 'Make no mistake, I am aware that we have to win games and we'll be working exceptionally hard to do so. 'If you brought someone in and everyone is happy with the appointment, you're still judged in the same way. 'Every Saturday you're judged, I understand that. 'But I am genuinely very excited by it.' Amid the honesty, reflection and philosophy there was also humour. Self-reflection is something Pressley has done a lot of during his time away from frontline football at Brentford. He's also been away from Scottish football for a long time, leaving Falkirk for the manager job at Coventry City in 2013. But he insists he has changed from the Pressley who left Scottish football burning with major ambition. 'I am very much a different person to the person who left Scotland 12 years ago with a big ego going down to conquer England. I'm returning with a much smaller one,' Pressley joked with hands out wide to demonstrate his point (see our main picture). 'I return with a much smaller ego but with much more knowledge and experience. 'I think I return a much more authentic guy.' Authenticity was certainly the first impression on his unveiling, honest and deep-thinking, too. There was a seriousness about the job in hand, admitting there is 'a lot of work' to be done in a busy summer ahead. His individual approach with players will go down well. But there were no quick soundbites, no vast promises of glory on the horizon. The football will have to do the talking on that front.
