Zak Rudden insists 'no risk' in Dundee move as former club Partick Thistle push for promotion

Zak Rudden pictured during his debut for Dundee in their 0-0 draw against Dundee United at Dens Park on Tuesday night. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)

Having swapped Partick Thistle for Dundee in pursuit of top flight football, Zak Rudden may already have cause to cast a wry glance at both the Premiership and Championship league tables.

While the team he has just signed for slipped into the automatic relegation spot on Tuesday night with a 0-0 derby draw at home to Dundee United, the club he left strengthened their bid for promotion as they beat Ayr United 1-0.

But the prospect of Dundee and Thistle trading places at the end of the season isn’t one Rudden will spend much time ruminating over.

The Scotland under-21 international has no regrets over his decision to sign a pre-contract agreement with Dundee which ultimately saw his move from Thistle advanced on transfer deadline-day.

Zak Rudden played against Dundee manager James McPake when he was a Rangers player. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group).

“I am here because I want to take the next step, I didn’t want to wait about and not know what would happen in the last six months (of my contract) if I’d stayed with Thistle,” said Rudden.

“So I took the chance to come to the Premiership now and it’s good to get going. It’s always a bit confusing when you’re in that position and having signed the pre-contract I wanted to get here as soon as possible. It took a while to get it sorted but I am delighted to be here now.

“I owe a lot to Thistle manager Ian McCall, he gave me my start again and got me up and running after I’d been injured.

“I didn’t score for Thistle for a while but he kept me, he trusted me and I have to thank him for that. He’s a big part of the reason I’m here now

“So I was always giving my all when I was at Partick and you never know, they might come up and I will be playing against them next season.”

Rudden had been a long time target of Dundee manager James McPake who first noticed his potential when he played against him.

“I played against the gaffer when I was a young boy,” recalls Rudden. “I was with Rangers and it was a reserve game, he was coming back from injury and I was up against him.

“I don’t think I scored against him, he went off and I think I scored once he was off the pitch!

“He’s been after me for four years so when I spoke to him it was a no-brainer to come here. I had to eventually because he’d tried so many times in the past!

“When a manager tries so hard to get you it means you’re really wanted and that gives you a boost. It makes me feel much better about myself knowing that he’s going to have trust in me.”

Rudden made a lively debut as a substitute in Dundee’s 0-0 draw at home to Dundee United on Tuesday and twice saw efforts cleared off the line.

“I thought I’d scored both times, although with the second one I felt I probably could have done a bit better by going for more power,” he said.

“The team will create chances for me, you saw that already and I should have had at least one.

“I don’t think it’s a risk coming here. I know I made the right choice, one hundred percent.”

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