Dundee striker Ash Hay lived with on loan Hoops defender Benjamin Arthur while at Brentford under Steven Pressley
(Image: SNS Group)
Ash Hay and Benjamin Arthur used to be flatmates but the Dundee star is looking to leave the Celtic loanee locked out in the cold tomorrow.
They came through the ranks together at Brentford but this season they are up against each other in the Premiership.
Striker Hay joked he used to be like a father to the messy defender.
Now he is hoping he and Dundee can be the daddy at Dens Park for a second time this season against the champions.
“I was with Benjy at Brentford and we were flatmates down there too,” Hay admitted.
“There was three of us in the flat, we’re good mates and Tony Yogane is close with him as well.
“He was pretty chilled as a flatmate, a good lad who is obsessed with the gym – you can see that from the shape he’s in!
“He was messy, though, very messy. He’d always be leaving wrappers and stuff lying around, so I felt like a dad sometimes tidying them away.
“It was three boys living together, we’d always argue about who was taking the bins out and stuff like that.
“All the normal things, it was enjoyable.
“I did all the cooking too, I wouldn’t trust him on a stove.
“I’m sure he’s improved since then.”
Benjamin Arthur
Hay had already moved to Dens Park on a permanent deal when Arthur called him to ask for advice over his switch to Celtic.
He stated: “It was no surprise he got a move like Celtic in January because he’s a very good player.
“He spoke to me before he came up, it was the last day of the window. It was a no-brainer for him to go to a club like that, somewhere he can learn a lot.
“I was excited for him.
“When my friends asked me about him I told them he’s like Virgil Van Dijk as well. He’s very like him, a big, strong lad who is really calm on the ball.
“The sky’s the limit for him, he can play at the top, top level – one hundred percent.
“Even when he first came to Brentford you could see it, in the first few games everything was just so natural to him.
“He’s a credit to himself.”
Arthur also played under Steven Pressley at Brentford and has admitted he was a big influence on him.
Hay also knows his Dundee side will be up for this one after the heartbreak of their Scottish Cup defeat at Celtic Park. The Hoops netted late in stoppage time and won it in extra time.
“The cup game was a sore one so the boys want a bit of payback for that,” the frontman stated.
“It was tough to take, we put so much into the game so losing it was harsh.
“Now time has passed, knowing we should have won a game at Celtic Park means there’s positives to take.
“People wrote us off but we should have won it.
“The way their crowd reacted when they got the goal to take it to extra time told you everything, you could feel the relief.”
Dundee’s Clark Robertson celebrates after scoring to make it 1-0
Steven Pressley’s side will also take confidence from beating Celtic on their home patch earlier in the season.
The Dundee head coach is looking to claim a double that has been more than 50 years in the waiting.
The Englishman insisted they had a little help that day.
He claimed:“It’s at our place this time, the crowd there has been fantastic all season.
“When we beat them earlier in the season that was the first day you probably said things really clicked for us.
“After that, people started to think we could maybe do something and win a few games.”