The importance of Dundee bouncing back against Livingston

It is very tempting to spend this piece celebrating a young Welsh left back getting seven minutes on the park for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp's decision to give some younger players a run out has now limited Owen Beck's playing options to either Dundee or Liverpool, much to our delight and the chagrin of both sides of the Old Firm and leaving almost everybody of a Dark Blue persuasion praying for a late-night Twitter notification on January 31 that announces the return of our prodigal son. I could even try to fill the column inches waxing lyrical about the club's new strategic partnership with Burnley owners ALK Capital, which was announced last night.

However, reality bites hard, and a cataclysmic clown-car opening three minutes putting paid to our hopes of Hampden glory this season sadly has to take centre stage. It was, at least, a novel way to exit the competition - I'm not sure we've managed to concede twice in as many minutes as part of any of the other 114 cup exits between now and 1910 - but nevertheless, it was a deeply frustrating afternoon all round. Despite spending another year with our nose pressed up to the glass of cup progression, some important lessons can be drawn from Saturday's disappointment.

Having led a relatively blessed season so far in terms of injuries, all our cows came home to roost at once on Saturday, and the back line that fell to pieces at Rugby Park only featured two of our regular back six. Combined with rotation further up the pitch, it felt like a very disjointed side that never got going, even when Kilmarnock sat back after rushing into an unbelievable early lead. Both sides could legitimately claim to be rusty, but the lack of cohesion and control from an unfamiliar lineup was critical in our downfall.

As St Johnstone fans have not been shy in pointing out, new loanee Dara Costelloe is not a wing-back. Let's face it, whoever ends up filling Beck's berth has an unenviable task and a lot to live up to, but Costelloe will not be the answer, at least not that far back on the pitch. Fellow Burnley loanee Owen Dodgson had to make do with an appearance off the bench, in part due to a chest infection, and will be the first choice in that position once he's ready. Fellow Dees will, however, need to adjust expectations quickly and avoid letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.

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Costelloe is far more likely to challenge for a starting spot somewhere along the front line, which is somewhat in flux just now, with a number of players both new and old capable of staking a claim. Scott Tiffoney was given another chance to do so alongside Bakayoko at the weekend but didn't grasp the opportunity presented to him. It's far too early to cast final ballots on the likes of Tiffoney, particularly when niggling injuries have pock-marked the start of his Dens Park stint, but he's struggled to make an impression so far. Worryingly for Tiffoney, Charlie Reilly caused more issues for the Killie defence in the space of his ten minutes off the bench than Tiff managed for most of the game, and with half a season of first team training behind him, I reckon Reilly is primed to make more of an impact in the second half of the season. The capture of Curtis Main has already spelled the end of the road for Zak Rudden, who has been told to find a new club; the arrival of Michael Mellon or another forward could well make the road ahead even more challenging for Tiff.

The most important lesson to pick up, though, is the one that every Dundee fan doesn't need taught - whatever we paid for Trevor Carson was far too little. It's difficult to recall the last team relegated with a decent keeper between the sticks for good reason; those who need (or, even worse, choose) to rotate between different options, or have a shaky number one in the first place, feel the vibrations of that lack of confidence ripple through the side, and those fine margins over the course of a season undo any good work being done elsewhere. Apparently, Carson's absence wasn't entirely necessary, but was a decision taken out of an abundance of caution with a heavy fixture list still to come. If his spell on the sidelines is prolonged, I wouldn't be surprised to see the club dip with alacrity into the market for another option.

One "benefit" of an early cup exit is, of course, that old adage of being able to concentrate on the league. Under Docherty, poor performances have been few and far between, and have almost always been followed up with a positive reaction in our next match. Thanks to call-offs, we're staring down the barrel of four away ties in a row before the team next walk out onto the Dens Park turf. Hearts away doesn't scream three points, but this weekend's tie at Almondvale should be seen as a must-win. Our new signings, more of whom will likely arrive in the coming week, will have to get up to speed sharpish to make sure that we continue to display the correct mentality and don't see the hard-won mid table stability earned thus far undone by going on a rotten run at the worst possible time.