Alex Harris looks to make up for lost time at Dundee

Alex Harris played his first game for Dundee on Sunday since joining on loan from Hibs. Picture: SNS

Harris joined Paul Hartley’s men until the end of the season last weekend in a swap deal that took Martin Boyle to Easter Road. The 20-year-old winger is itching to make a difference after a decent debut in Dundee’s 1-1 draw with Ross County on Sunday.

Dundee have gone eight Premiership games without a win after an impressive start to their top-flight return, but Harris wants to help stop the rot.

Harris, who has linked up again with his former Easter Road team-mates James McPake and Kevin Thomson, said: “I haven’t really been in the Hibs first-team fold since the start of the season. I want to lift the spirits here as Dundee have not been getting the best results in the last few weeks.

“The boys have been great with me since I joined and I hope to help put the smile back on the Dundee supporters faces. I feel that I can offer Dundee something different. It is hard not to feature for Hibs but I feel that if I am needed here then I can help the team out. I will try my best to show the Dundee fans what I am all about.”

Harris is relishing the step up to the top-flight from the Championship and can’t wait to strut his stuff even more in the weeks ahead. He said: “I know Dundee have gone eight league games without a win and the fans are a bit down with recent results. I am here to bring a bit of freshness to the team and hopefully help them get their first Premiership win in a while.

“I wanted to play regular first-team football. The Dundee opportunity came up and I jumped at it. It is unusual to go on loan to a club in a higher league.

“It was weird when I first heard of it but I am delighted to be back up in the Scottish Premiership. I have gone up a division and I have played in it before and it was good to hear that a team like Dundee were interested in me, especially when I was not playing for Hibs.

“It was important for me to get a chance to play more and that is why I am here. Paul Hartley called me on Thursday and told me to come in on Friday and train with the boys and he told me what plans he had for me. He sounded quite positive so it was all good.”

Harris found himself out of the picture at Alan Stubbs’ Hibs but knows that shining for Dundee could be the key to resurrecting his Easter Road career when he returns there next season. He said: “The manager spoke to me about that and I can’t really complain as the team are playing well and are winning. Under Stubbs, Hibs have been playing with the diamond in midfield and Matthew Kennedy also found it hard to break into the first-team and he has gone back to Everton. It was tough for us both as we are wide-men and they do not feature in that system.

“However, the manager told me that he still has big plans for me when I return to Hibs in the summer. I guess my career has stalled at Hibs a wee bit.

“The way I broke through was great and I was really enjoying my football and I was playing quite a lot. Then I got injured last season and that definitely stalled me. I wasn’t as match fit as I could have been when I returned to the Hibs team. I always try my best and it didn’t work out at Hibs last season for whatever reason.”

Harris insists the worst thing Dundee could do on such a wretched run is hit the panic button. He said: “I know Hibs ended up getting relegated last season but I think this is a time for Dundee to keep cool heads under pressure.

“The match against Ross County was my first 90 minutes in a while and I felt tired towards the end. It was great to be involved.

“Hopefully it is a case of onwards and upwards for Dundee and myself. And I would love to see Hibs join Dundee in the Premiership next season.”