William Edjenguele happy to take Dundee fans' derby flak

William Edjenguele, the Dundee United defender, suffered some derby day heckles after defeating Dundee, but would be more than happy to receive some more should it mean celebrating back-to-back wins over their city rivals.

The Frenchman was the subject of some friendly banter from Dark Blues supporters. Picture: Rob Casey/SNS

The Frenchman admits he was the subject of some friendly banter from Dark Blues supporters on leaving Dens Park last Sunday following their penalty shootout win over Neil McCann’s side in the Betfred Cup group match. The teams are now gearing up to meet again in Wednesday’s televised last-16 showdown.

Edjenguele, who joined Ray McKinnon’s side last summer, experienced for the first time the unique walk from Tannadice to the home of their fierce foes and having humbled Dundee in a dramatic shootout on the back of their 1-1 draw, the former Coventry defender got it in the neck from some opposing fans.

However, the 6ft 2in centre-back didn’t mind the post-match encounter with the Dundee supporters and believes it will be another small price to pay if they can return to Dens and secure a place in the quarter-finals.

“The last derby was great,” said Edjenguele, pictured. “You never know what to expect in any derby but luckily in my career I’ve played in some big games. So there were no nerves issue.

“It was new, though, for me to walk from our stadium to their stadium.

“I was getting a bit of abuse after the game. But it’s all fun and we came out on top. It was just a few shouts from the other fans as we walked down the road.

“It’s all part of the fun really. I just take it because I know I am so lucky to be a footballer.

“It’s all just banter. I wouldn’t mind a bit more of it if we can win again on Wednesday.

“You’ve got to enjoy every part of the derby and the next one is going to be interesting.”

United went into the game as underdogs with Dundee boss McCann urging his players to perform with a swagger and show their Premiership class compared to their Championship visitors who are aiming for a top-flight return this season. But there was an upset on the day as McKinnon’s men ultimately topped Group C and Edjenguele reckoned there was no such gulf in class.

“We won the game, so what do you think?” stated Edjenguele.

“In one game, everything is possible.You’ve seen the likes of Hearts draw with Dunfermline.

“We both had spells in the last game but we won it in the end. You don’t have to be the best team to win a game.

“It’s going to be a totally different game on Wednesday. The other day was a draw and we won on penalties. Now we’re going to have another chance to see if we can win when we face them in such a short space of time.

“There wasn’t really a gap. Maybe this time in terms of preparation, they’re going to have another ten days under their belts and it could be different as well with bodies coming back. But we’ll see come Wednesday.”

This return derby promises to have an even greater edge with a place in the last eight up for grabs.