Dundee 1
Kilmarnock 1
Anglo-Scottish Cup (1st Round 1st Leg)

Match Report

Newspaper extract from The Courier.

Dundee face an uphill task now in the Anglo Scottish Cup after failing to win this first leg.

But they'll be hoping for a bit more luck at Rugby Park tomorrow night for, make no mistake, this was still their best pre-season performance so far.

The fates were kind to Killie all the way for they took a tremendous battering from a home side who put their passes together more often than of late, and went close to scoring about 20 times.

Give Killie their due, they stuck to their job with skill and grit and it was a great result for them considering this was their third game in four days.

Dundee soon settled to some fluent play and steady pressure. Glennie shot wide, and Fletcher's first time effort gave Killie a fright before the ball was blocked and scrambled away.

Fletcher put in a tremendous 30 yard shot in the 15th minute to miss by inches, almost bringing the breakthrough Dundee needed.

So far Killie had scarcely threatened. In this two leg tie the onus was all on Dundee to attack.

And attack they did, with Murphy swinging and missing eight yards out as he tried to force in a Williamson header.

Just when Murphy looked like getting through on the half-hour mark, Welsh blatantly impeded the wee winger, earning a booking. Soon after Watson put in a high tackle on McLean. The Dundee player also had his name noted.

The home onslaught continued. McCulloch saved a Fletcher thunderbolt shot by sheer instinct, and Robertson headed a Redford header off the goal line with the keeper nowhere.

Three minutes from half time, a deathly hush greeted a shock goal for Killie.

In a rare attack they forced a couple of corners, and following the second one Street crossed high from the left for Clarke to rise and head past Donaldson.

Wide open Dundee's tale of woe continued from the restart. Fletcher failed to connect properly with a Shirra pass with the goal wide open.

Frustration was beginning to show in the home ranks now, even if the effort was still unstinted. Murphy tried a desperate type shot which flew well wide.

Finally the vital break which had eluded Dundee so long came in the 71st minute. Fletcher and Murphy did good work on the right before Murphy swung the ball across the goal. It eluded several players before reaching Shirra who promptly shot low past McCulloch.

The home side went flat out for the winner and had the cruellest of luck 12 minutes from time. Sinclair strode through on a Williamson pass then lobbed the ball over the head of the advancing McCulloch. It hit the underside of the bar and stayed out.