Dundee 0
Dunfermline Athletic 2
League (Premier League)

Match Report

Dunfermline bass Jimmy Calderwood admitted that his side had been hammered, but the Fife side still departed with all three points after Dundee and the support got a wake up call, this season isn't going to be a stroll until the team learn to kill teams off at Dens. Seven league games on the bounce without a win at our home is an awful record, especially as, with the possible exception of the two draws against the Old Firm towards the tail end of last season, all those matches could and should have been won.

Here, chances were spurned and a visiting team snatched victory in a bad case of déjà vu.

New director Giovanni di Stefano and his family were in the stand to watch the Dee's in action and there seemed no doubt early on that they would witness a continuation of the fine start to the season.

Dundee came close to opening the scoring in 18 minutes when Rae set Novo free, the striker cut back and fed the ball to Lovell who's measured shot beat Stillie and rattled the outside of the post. At that moment it looked like it was only a matter of time before the Dark Blues would score, but that was to be as close as they came.

Brady was next to try his luck, rasping a drive wide of the target minutes after Lovell's effort. Brent Sancho was making his full debut after Dave Mackay had pulled out with a stomach upset and the Trinidad and Tobago international was close to scoring when he combined with Novo before hitting an angled effort which Stillie palmed behind for a corner on the half hour.

The opener came on the stroke of half time when a harmless looking free kick pumped high into the box from Mason was allowed to travel too far, and Lee Wilkie's miscued clearance under pressure shot into the bottom corner with Speroni stranded.

Dunfermline looked encouraged by the goal as the second half started and Mason whacked a shot past the post soon after the interval.

Georgi Nemsadze picked up a yellow for a clip from behind on a racing Gary Mason in 51 minutes and just after the hour The Georgian captain released Brady on the right, he jinked and fired in a low angled drive which Stillie tipped round the post.

The Dees again came close four minutes later when Gavin Rae couldn't quite stretch enough to apply the finishing touch to Smith's cross. Just after that effort Jim Duffy made his

first change with Fabian Caballero on for Brent Sancho, who'd shown up well on his first Dens appearance.

Wilkie almost made amends for his own goal in 74 minutes as he rose to head a Nemsadze free kick just wide but it was beginning to look as if it wasn't Dundee's day. Beto Carranza was the last throw of the dice and he replaced Nacho Novo with fourteen minutes left. Lee Mair too was joining the attack and he received Rae's free kick slid in a low cross and when the ball was cleared back to him fired a shot which was deflected over the bar.

Caballero had looked lively since coming on and with eight minutes to go he cracked in a 25- yarder which stung Stillie's hands, the keeper gathering at the second attempt. A minute later he had another effort as Nemsadze picked him out in a crowded area but Stillie did fantastically well to deny him with a great block.

Although Dunfermline had barely crossed the half way line in the last twenty minutes they had looked solid at the back and a sucker punch came with just a couple of minutes remaining. The goal could be attributable to the fact that Wilkie was by now playing as a striker, but illustrated that Calderwood may have snatched a gem from West Ham in striker Billy Mehmet, he'd been on the field only 20 seconds when the ball hit the net and the youngster had four touches before supplying the pass which gave Crawford an easy finish.

Match report written by Dundee Matchday Programme