If we'd played like this for the last few months there wouldn't have been a problem. Yes, Dundee had chances and posed a threat but we were the better side for much of the game. The big difference from previous matches was that, while we enjoyed plenty of possession we also managed to do something with it. Rab Douglas pulled off a number of good saves to keep his side in it but fortunately we were able to take a few more chances.
This is a big win for us. It ends Dundee's recent revival, ends our poor form and moves us a bit closer to the rest of the pack. Hopefully this will kick us on a bit and we can start getting some more points, but let's not get carried away - we won at home against the team that's bottom who played for more than an hour with 10 men. Let's enjoy the end of the poor run, but we need to refocus again with another important game coming up in just a few days.
There were changes after last week's defeat and while one of them was expected, one of them most certainly wasn't. Lewis Guy was fit and able to take his place in the side so started, as did John McGinn. I suggested in my preview it was an option but I was still shocked to see him make the starting 11 for the first time. Of Dundee's former Buddies only one was involved, and John Baird was only a sub. Steven Milne and Colin Nish were the preferred strikers with the likes of Nicky Riley, Ryan Conroy and former Morton man Jim McAlister threats from midfield.
After Riley blazed one off target we almost had another long range screamer to add to the growing collection of wonder goals this season. For once it wasn't Kenny McLean or Jim Goodwin having a pot shot from miles out but McGinn - and it wasn't a bad effort, the ball skidding over the surface before Rab Douglas could only parry it away. The slippery surface then counted against us as Guy fell over when he tried to be first to the rebound. McLean tried to show his slightly younger team mate how it should be done only to shoot wide, before Steven Thompson unleashed a fierce effort from the edge of the box straight at Douglas. After some frantic defending to deny Milne, Gary Irvine sent in a tasty cross for Nish to attack but he didn't take full advantage of it and Craig Samson had no problem saving the header.
We were beginning to look a bit shaky at the back and Riley was having lots of fun down the Dundee right. His next push forward so him comfortably evade Paul Dummett and play a ball into the box that had goal written all over it. Thankfully, Milne must use the same boots as Guy as he lost his balance as he tried to connect and someone was able to launch the ball to safety. In fairness we did look a threat when we attacked, the visitors giving Gary Teale far too much space as he cut inside before shooting wide.
Dummett wasn't having the best of days and things got worse for him when he was flattened by Nish. With the defender needing treatment, referee Willie Collum immediately showed Nish the red card. To be honest I'm not sure either way whether he should have walked - from where I was sitting it looked a booking at best - but Collum was pretty certain pretty quickly. For Collum to send someone off against us it must be pretty blatant considering what the likes of Boruc and Combe have got away with in the past...
Anyway, this left us a man to the good, something we often struggle with. For once we were able to cope with it as a few minutes later McLean played a wonderful ball through to Guy who rounded Douglas, kept it in play and pulled it back for Thompson. It wasn't the best of passes but the first Dundee defender kindly missed it and Thompson poked it into the empty net for the opener.
Apparently being on the end of a tackle and needing treatment means you get abused by the opposition fans these days, which is what was happening to Dummett. The away support were most amused when he messed up an attempt to get onto the end of a McLean through pass but he almost had the last laugh a minute later when he cut the ball back only for Guy and Goodwin to fall over themselves as they tried to meet it. Goodwin still got a shot away but it lacked power, although it did go hilariously close to making Douglas look an idiot as it trundled a couple of inches the wrong side of the post. Goodwin had the next chance from just outside the box but it was straight at Dummett. McGinn had another shot at a debut goal as he tried to lob Douglas from the edge of the box, the former Scotland goalie doing well to tip it over just before it fell into his net. A one goal lead would have to do us at half-time.
We were enjoying plenty of possession but for once were also working the opposition goalie, McLean seeing his shot at the start of the second half palmed away by Douglas. His opposite number was also being tested, with Riley's terrific shot being fisted away before Teale was desperately unlucky to see his low drive go behind via a deflection off of Thompson. The tippy tappy stuff was getting a bit tedious, so thankfully we decided to have a few attacks - McLean shooting wide after good work by Goodwin on the wing (no idea what he was doing out there either!) before Teale's cross was brilliantly met by Thompson only for Douglas to react superbly to keep the header out. After Teale provided Douglas with some rather easier work, Dummett was booked for a foul on Riley. Needless to say the away fans were rather happy about that.
Not as happy as what happened next. Milne looked as if he was wasting his time when he tried to keep the ball in play but, in fairness, he managed it and rattled it off Goodwin's arms. This time Collum took a bit longer to decide what to do, eventually pointing to the spot for a corner. In my view humble opinion Goodwin did stick his arms out to try and block it and I was shocked when the officials initially looked as if they had given a corner, although the lack of a booking after they had decided on a penalty was rather curious. Conroy didn't care and fired the ball into the bottom corner, giving Samson no chance.
With Dundee in the ascendancy and their support buoyed most people probably expected us to buckle given our current run but for once we didn't. Instead we went back in front and there's something amusement about the fact it came thanks to a handball call. This time it went in our favour but it only got us a free-kick out wide. No matter as Teale delivered a perfect ball and Thompson stuck the head on it to force it home at the near post. We then saw some changes that had probably been decided before the goal as the impressive McGinn and Guy were replaced by Sam Parkin and Dougie Imrie. We had a penalty shout of our own when Thompson burst into the box before being tackled by Declan Gallagher but it was never a foul.
For the final 12 minutes Baird came on for Milne, the situation perfectly set up for his first Dundee goal. Sure enough, someone got his first goal for his club 10 minutes later - but it wasn't Baird. Instead after we'd passed the ball about at the back Marc McAusland decided to play one down the right for Imrie. The visiting defence appealed for an offside but the flag stayed down, allowing Imrie to compose himself and rattle a shot low past Douglas. It's only taken him 10 months to score for us! Game over and a crucial win that moves us within a point of Tuesday's opponents Ross County.
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