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Dundee United have signed midfielder Ross Docherty on a two-year deal.

The 30-year-old moves to Tannadice as a free agent after three seasons with Partick Thistle, where he was captain.

"Last season, Ross was one of the outstanding midfielders in the Championship and his consistent level of performances with Partick Thistle caught our eye," manager Jim Goodwin told the United website.

"He is exactly the type of player required to succeed in this league - he's very comfortable both with and without the ball, very fit and brings additional experience to the squad."

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Partick Thistle winger Scott Tiffoney has signed for Dundee, with the newly-promoted club saying they fended off competition from "a number of other clubs" to land the 24-year-old.

Tiffoney will become a Dark Blues player when his Thistle contract expires at the weekend. Dundee have not disclosed the length of his Dens Park deal.

He moved to Firhill from Livingston two years ago and scored 12 goals in 35 games for beaten play-off finalists Thistle last season.

New Dundee boss Tony Docherty said: “I am thrilled that Scott will be joining the club. He is a player that I have monitored and admired for a long time and will get the fans off their seats.

"When he has the ball, he can make things happen, he can create chances for others, and he can create opportunities for himself. He has a tremendous work ethic and wants to improve as a player."

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As expected, Kris Doolan names an unchanged side again.

Does he really need explain we really need to explain why? His team are absolutely flying.

Doolan's bench is boosted by the return of full-back Lee Hodson.

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Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan thinks he has squad of Scottish Premiership quality that is "desperate" to return there but suggests all the pressure is on hosts Ross County in Sunday's play-off final second leg.

Thistle, the first side to reach the final after finishing fourth in the Championship, have a 2-0 lead from their first leg against the Highland side, who were second bottom of the top flight.

"I say that all the time, but it becomes a habit and it is a habit that is hard to break, but likewise, if you are losing games, it is a hard habit to break that as well," Doolan said as he compared his side's 11-game unbeaten run with County's.

"I have been on the flip side of it coming out the Premiership. I know what it is like in these play-off games. When there is so much at stake, it is difficult to stop a team with momentum coming into the last game especially, even though you might be at home. It is still a difficult thing to stop.

"We have had five games under real pressure in the play-offs, but the players play as if there is no pressure. We have nothing to lose. We have everything to gain.

"Ross County are the team who could potentially come out of the Premiership."

Doolan, who stepped up from the club's academy to take over from Ian McCall in February, will urge his side again to play to win rather than protect their lead.

"You look in their eyes - they are desperate to be in the Premiership," he said. "They have a one-track mind and that is what we have tried to instil.

"We have tried to instil a winning mentality, a winning environment and winning breeds winning.

"Ian McCall built this squad and he deserves a lot of credit for that because it is a fantastic squad. To me, it is a Premiership squad and we have managed to find a shape and a style of play that suits us."

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Kyle Turner says "a siege mentality" has helped Partick Thistle make history already in their quest of a Scottish Premiership return.

Thistle lead Ross County 2-0 going into Sunday's second leg of their play-off final and the 25-year-old midfielder has praised the way manager Kris Doolan has rekindled their promotion drive after succeeding Ian McCall in February.

Doolan recently had to cope with the death of his father and Turner said: "He has had a hard time in the last few weeks and it has been tough for him, but the gaffer has been brilliant.

"In five play-off games, we have scored 18 goals and conceded three, so the gaffer has installed a belief in us. He wants us to be free and go and play our own game and it has worked so far."

Thistle, unbeaten in 11 games, are the first side to reach the play-off final after finishing fourth in the Championship.

"We were disappointed this season and we should have been challenging in the final games, but we slipped up a few times and we weren't happy with that," Turner said.

"We felt the worst we should have finished was second. When we got past Queen's Park, then the belief started to grow. We know Sunday will be tough and County will throw everything at us, so we have to be ready."

Turner believes the margin of victory over County, who finished 11th in the Premiership, could have been greater.

"The way the game went with them down to 10 men, with the chances we created, on another day we would have scored more," he added. "But if someone had said to us we would win 2-0 then we would have been happy."

Brian Graham is confident Partick Thistle will complete their promotion mission in Dingwall where they take a 2-0 lead for the second leg of the play-off final with Ross County.

The 35-year-old striker scored Thistle’s second at Firhill and said his side were “exceptional” in victory over the 10-man Premiership side.

“It was an all-round great team performance, it could have been more but we have to give credit to Ross County, the way they threw their bodies on the line, the keeper made a couple of great saves but we were exceptional,” said Graham.

“Ross Docherty and Kyle Turner sitting there giving us a balance has given the front four a real freedom to play.

“The momentum is with us and we know what’s at stake but we will go there with huge belief that we can get the job done.”

Aidan Fitzpatrick scored Thistle’s opener within ten minutes and says he is “disappointed” they are only 2-0 up going into the second leg.

“We dominated the game,” said Fitzpatrick.

“We won both first legs in the previous rounds and we just went went out with the same approach each time. We’ll do the same at Dingwall."

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