Owen Beck return signals terrific Dundee transfer window

January always feels about eight weeks long, but even more so when you're wondering whether or not your prodigal loan star will return. Happily enough, Owen Beck is once more a Dee, and all is right with the world again.

At last, we can stop trawling Liverpool gossip sites, feverishly peppering them with questions about what other players can cover left back for the Merseyside Reds, and just bask in the knowledge that we can belt out a slightly adjusted version of Boney M's "Daddy Cool" to show our appreciation for the young talent. While I am at risk of an intervention due to the sheer number of hyperbolic references I've made to the Welsh wizard, his return transforms what has been a decent transfer window into a terrific one and has given the fanbase a real boost of confidence about our chances of a top six finish and -whisper it - European football.

Whoever replaced Beck would always have had an impossible task on their hands, but even taking that into account, we've really struggled to find an adequate solution on the left side of defence during his absence, with both Owen Dodgson and Dara Costelloe costing the side goals since signing on loan from Burnley. Now that Beck is available once more, we can revert to a back three with wing backs that feel a little more cohesive than the flat back four that doesn't entirely suit the rest of our shape. Where we find three centre-halves with our current injury woes at the back is beyond me, but we'll work it out...

Of course, Beck isn't the only returning loanee. Jon McCracken, who didn't put a foot or a glove wrong in his brief spell between the sticks at the start of the season, is on his way back from Norwich, supposedly to provide backup for Trevor Carson, who seems to be struggling with a pesky injury just now. McCracken's return should be just as welcome as Beck's, to be honest. Many a cinch Premiership side has been undone by issues with goalies, not least our nearest neighbours, who have ignominiously spent half of the last decade in the second tier thanks to a panoply of woes at the back. If Carson is likely to be out, whether in the short term or in fits and bursts, then it's canny for the club to have a solid backup in place.

It's a mark of how highly regarded Beck is that this week's article leads with his return instead of the incredible haul brought in by (yes, you guessed it) yet another loanee. As much as I love a good honeydew, there's a new favourite melon - or should that be Mellon? - in town for Dundee fans, as Scotland U21 striker Michael Mellon came off the bench to score and set up another two goals in the space of 30 minutes against Livingston. It's immediately clear that the son of the former United boss adds a dimension to the team we've been sorely lacking, with his ability to make runs in behind reaping dividends already.

It was a massive three points for Dundee to pick up, completing a hat-trick of victories over the surely doomed West Lothian outfit. Results elsewhere were pretty much perfect for us; the top three won their ties, and combined with a couple of draws, we closed the gap on the top six and widened the gap between us and the trap door. The win also arrested what was beginning to become a concerning slump in results and form, and with both Bakayoko and Robinson also breaking five-game goal droughts, it was a great weekend at the office for those in dark blue as we near the end of our busy spell. Luke McCowan picking up a needless red card on his 100th appearance for the Dee is about the black spot on the day.

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Tonight's tie away to Aberdeen is both enticing and intriguing. Aberdeen fans, not exactly known for a measured, sunny disposition at the best of times, are grumbling ever louder about Barry Robson, and victory for Dundee could spell the end of his tenure at Pittodrie. Thanks to the weather, we've yet to play Aberdeen this season, so it's hard to gauge whether reversing our usual mediocrity on our travels to the Granite City is on the cards. The narrative demands that we start former Don Curtis Main and that both he and Joe Shaughnessy score, of course, but I'm wary of making any predictions with both teams in a little bit of flux.

It'll take a little bit of time for the tinkered squad to settle and for both fans and Doc to work out the best starting XI and formation. Whether or not we are expected or stipulated to play some or all of our smorgasbord of loanees from down south could dictate this to some degree, but for now, it's worth giving our newest arrivals more game time to bed in and adjust to the demands of the Premiership. Wild rumours abound about any further additions to the squad - Yannick Bolasie, anyone? - but the squad does have the feel of a raw but powerful unit ready to be unleashed on the final run-in to the Premiership split.