Dundee 1
Hibernian 0
League (Premier League)

Match Report

This fixture, which has yielded goals aplenty all season, failed to deliver yesterday-yet lacked nothing In the way of entertainment. With their three previous meetings this term having produced 17 goals the expectation was that further net bulging was on the cards at Dens Park.

As it turned out Gavin Rae's fifth counter of the campaign was as much as we got.

However, the performance of the Dark Blues was such the home fans were hardly complaining, with the final whistle followed by a standing ovation.

Departing manager Jocky Scott's penultimate match in charge saw Dundee pass a poor Hibs side off the park.

And moving them two points ahead of Dundee United as this result-which also took them upsides yesterday's opponents-did, It surely ensures they'll finish above their local rivals for the second year running, a feat they last achieved over 25 years ago.

Scorer Rae is in Scott's debt more than most among the playing staff, having had his career rescued by the manager's arrival at Dens two and-a-half years ago, and in dedicating the win to his manager he acknowledged that.

"From the point of view of personal pride you always look for the victory but this one was also for Jocky after what he has done for so many of us," revealed the midfielder.

"Personally he has been really good to me. I owe him a lot. And the way in which he has conducted himself this past week tells you how much the club means to him.

"He could have walked away after being told he wasn't going to have his contract renewed. Instead he stayed, which shows you the feeling he has for Dundee.

"And I hope and am sure, given their track records, he and Jimmy Bone will get other jobs in the game.

"When the news broke about his situation and the fact that Ivabo Bonetti would be in charge here next season the gaffer told us we just had to get on with things and try to impress the new manager.

"I thought we played well today, when it was difficult to keep the pace up due to the heat, and although we should have scored a few more, 1-0 is still a win.

"We can still, providing we beat Aberdeen next weekend and the other results go our way, finish fifth top again and that's the aim."

So many and clear cut were the chances created by Dundee in the first-half it was frankly astonishing that they failed to net during that period of complete dominance.

Hibs' only worthwhile attempts on goal saw Robert Douglas save brilliantly from Paul Hartley, stopping Hartley's low-driven shot one handed then grasping the loose ball as it threaten to spin away from him, and cope with a weakly hit Kenny Miller effort.

The Dark Blues on the other hand opened up the capital club's defence almost at will and had they shown a finishing touch to match their build up play they'd have been out of sight by the break.

Striker James Grady set the pattern when, after Patrizio Billio released Steven Boyack on the right, he head glanced wide, from 12 yards, Boyack's measured cross.

And in the space of six minutes they passed up four excellent opportunities, with a Rae effort striking Grady, who then failed to convert when the ball broke off of him, Boyack completing miscueing from a Grady cut-back, Willie Falconer burying the ball in the side-netting after bursting clean through and Boyack shooting straight at the advancing Colgan, who parried for a corner, after being left one on one with the keeper by Grady's pass.

The occupants of the Bobby Cox stand also screamed loudly for a penalty when Grady went down under a Shaun Dennis challenge however referee Mike McCurry correctly ignored those appeals, for Grady seemed to lose his balance through standing on the ball.

When the breakthrough came, the circumstances were in keeping with the nature of Dundee's performance-Javier Artero and Grady involved in the lead-up to Boyack crossing for Rae to net.

Boyack (twice), Rae and Steven Tweed all might have stretched that lead before Hibs at last began to threaten.

The visitors might have had a spot-kick for a Tweed challenge on substitute Miksu Paatelainen then Douglas lost his footing and made a meal of coping with a Pat McGinlay half volley that he eventually tipped onto the face of his bar.

And as they threatened to snatch an unlikely equaliser Lee Wilkie managed to clear at the expense of a corner as Tom McManus shaped to score.

But that brief shaky spell apart, Dundee richly deserved the points as Hibs boss Alex McLeish admitted.

"We were extremely poor and have no excuses at all," said McLeish.

"We were totally inept in the first-half and that set the tone for us."

Jocky Scott said, "Our target was to finish the season with three wins and that's now two out of two with a couple of clean sheets to boot.

"There's never been a problem with the commitment and effort of the players but what was really pleasing today was the way we passed the ball and our movement off it."

Rae and sub Francisco Luna were the only players booked.

Match report written by The Courier