Dundee 0
St Johnstone 1
League (First Division)

Match Report

St Johnstone now look what they were always tagged-strong favourites for the Division One title.

Paul Sturrock's side may have beaten Dundee by only 1-0 at Dens on Saturday but they deserved a greater margin of victory.

That they didn't get it was due to yet more solid defending from the Dark Blues.

However, Dundee haven't scored a goal in just under nine hours of league football, and the burden on the rearguard to get results not surprisingly became intolerable, George O'Boyle heading home the 77th-minute winner with little resistance.

Saints boss Sturrock pointed to a new patient approach as the key to success.

"I am delighted with the result and pleased with a very solid performance," he said.

"Our form has been a bit indifferent away from home, and we needed to tighten up a little bit. I wouldn't use the word 'cavalier' to describe us but, at times, we have been leaving ourselves open-and that has caused concern.

"The players and I had a talk about how to approach away games, and I am very pleased that they took my thoughts on board. Patience is something I have been trying to instil in them. We have sometimes gone away from home and played at 100 miles per hour, and that has resulted in a loss of discipline and shape."

There was no prize for guessing Dundee boss Jim Duffy's main concern.

"Our strikers have to take their fair share of responsibility, and we can't keep relying on the defence. The forwards are not playing at all, and I have to look at that," he said.

"The league is so tight there is only one point separating five teams-but this result has hampered us, not just in lost points but also lost confidence.

"We either need to make changes or stick with the strikers we have and hope they regain their confidence," added Duffy, who surprisingly tagged the encounter match as "even"

"I am not over-criticising the frontmen, just stating a plain fact. They are good players but, if they are not doing the job, we will have to look elsewhere.

"We will keep searching. We have had a few trialists at Dens, and more are coming, and, hopefully, we will eventually find what we need."

The only senior team in Scotland to have scored fewer league goals than Dundee is East Fife-and the two clash at Bayview on Saturday.

Up next for Saints is a tough visit to Partick tomorrow night. But, with such a composed display tucked away, they have every right to expect to be six points clear of the chasing pack when the final whistle blows at Firhill.

• Dundee handed trialist midfielder Laurent Croce his debut on Saturday and he battled away gamely against fellow newcomer Nick Dasovic, the impressive Canadian who was playing only his second match for Saints.

The Frenchman is now in the second week of his trial period, and Dens boss Jim Duffy said, "We will sit down with him in the days ahead to see what the situation is."

Match report written by The Courier