Tony Docherty haș admitted Dundee are taking every precaution with Scott Fraser because they are desperate to get him fit and firing for the run-in.

The playmaker has had a terrible time with a groin issue that has kept him sidelined since the October win over Motherwell. Fraser is making progress but having broken down a couple of times Docherty is not taking any chances. The Dundee manager confirmed: “It’s going to be weeks. He is on the training pitch but hasn’t joined the squad yet for training. But we're encouraged by the progress he's making at the moment.

“So I don't want to put him under any pressure because he's had a hell of a time, to be honest. He's just so desperate to get playing and to prove his worth. The last game he played in was a 1-0 victory against Motherwell and he was instrumental in that.

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“Everybody remembers that. So it's just trying to give him the opportunity to get back on the pitch and be that for us again. We have to be cautious because he's broken down a couple of times. And he’s an important player and will be very important for us come the run-in towards the end of the season.”

Docherty was delighted with the way his side clinically swept aside Airdrie to book their place in the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup. The victory was the main objective but the clean sheet was also big, especially as Dundee had leaked 12 goals to Hearts and Celtic in their previous two outings. The manager stated: “Getting the clean sheet really pleased me.

“It was really important going forward, we have obviously identified it because it’s no secret that we have to get a lot better. They will take a lot of confidence from it, we had a lot of strong performances.

“It was professional, we had the intensity we needed to get the job done and kept the clean sheet. The players to the letter carried out the instructions we gave them and I saw a real mentality within them.

“We’d been praised for that prior to the Hearts game where against the Old Firm we showed a real spirit and mentality. I saw that come back and that was great to see - we will take a lot of confidence from that again.

“It was tough going into the game and I wanted them to get the rewards and the confidence. I think we have that now. I said you don’t become a bad team overnight and I can see us back to what we were. I saw Simon Murray running back to make a sliding tackle and be very vocal about keeping a clean sheet - that’s the spirit we need.”