"Alan is great to play with," he said. "He wins so much and really takes the pressure off myself and Jordan Rhodes.
"They had three different centre-halves involved at one stage or another, and he gave them all problems.
"Alan does what you could call the ugly side of the job, and does it well. All too often he takes punishment yet ends up getting penalised.
"I think all three of us strikers are playing well, which gives the gaffer a dilemma."