'It'll take time': Steven Pressley calls for patience after Dundee defeat

New Dundee manager Steven Pressley said his side needs time to improve after they lost to Airdrie at home in the Premier Sports Cup.

Chris Mochrie scored the only goal of the game in the first half at Dens Park to give the Championship side victory and ensure that Pressley started his tenure as boss with a defeat.

Though Dundee improved after the break, Airdrie were deserved winners and the Dundee boss, who was appointed as Tony Docherty’s successor in early June, admitted his team were second best.

“Real disappointment,” Pressley said when asked for his reaction to the result.

“It was our first competitive game. We wanted to win the game. We wanted to give our supporters some real hope.

“But the reality was that we weren’t good enough. We were out of sync on so many of the things that we have worked towards.”

The former Falkirk and Coventry City boss said that his squad would have to put the effort in to improve and that patience is required.

“It’ll take time,” he told Dee TV.

“I know people won’t want to hear that but it will take time. We’ve been on the grass 19 times together.

“We have to keep working and keep believing. But the one thing that today emphasised was that we have a lot of work ahead of us. We really do. A lot of hard work ahead of us.

“We have to believe in what we do and keep working hard towards really achieving.”