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.
“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.”