Ross County 1
Dundee 0
League (First Division)

Match Report

Victoria Park, Dingwall on a sunny day is one of the nicest places to watch football in Scotland, though not for Dundee fans the Dark Blues have never won at the venue and this match extended that run without a win in the most Northerly league ground to five games.

Dundee should have gone into this match with some confidence after a run of three wins and a draw had moved them considerably up the First Division table but they started badly and it was only after the half time break that they tested the home. defence at all the suspended Derek Lyle was missed badly up front with Dundee showing none of their recent fluency.

Dundee had prospered during that good run by pressing opponents, most notably in the win at Gretna and when coming back from a goal down with ten men against St Johnstone, but here it was County who got into their opponents faces and forced the pace of the game.

Manager Alex Rae was thinking honest about the performance when he said, "We never got to grips with the first half at all, and although we did better after the break I can't recall their keeper having a serious save to make."

County pressed from the off and could have been ahead as early as the seventh minute when Kevin McKinlay fired over after Danny Griffin had misjudged a cross and the same player had a shot blocked by Greg Strong four minutes later after Martin Scott had laid a ball back into his path.

Just after the quarter hour Dundee were hit with an injury blow as Danny Griffin did well to block Higgins effort, but at a price the experienced defender limping off to be replaced by Callum Macdonald.

County were looking lively and Dundee had Gavin Swankie to thank for preventing an opener midway through the first half, County central defender Mark McCulloch rose to meet a Adams' corner and the former Arbroath man did well to block the goal bound header on the goal-line.

It was backs to the wall stuff for Dundee and County again came close in 35 minutes, On loan Celt' Martin Gardyne fed in Don Cowie and the striker should have broken the deadlock as he advanced in a one on one situation with Dens keeper Ludovic Roy, to the dismay of the home support he dragged his effort wide when it looked easier to score. A minute later Cowie made amends for that miss when he provided the ammunition for the strike which killed off Dundee's chances, Cowie burst onto a ball down the right and whipped in a cross as Greg Strong tried to get in a challenge, Sean Higgins was more alert than the Dee defence and he got in front of Bobby Mann to glance a header into the top comer of the net.

The Highlanders continued to press and two minutes after half time Dundee had Ludovic Roy to thank for keeping them in the game, the keeper doing well to get down and hold Cowie's ten yard volley.

That effort, apart it was Dundee who started the second half in the ascendancy, a spell of pressure ending with a neat backheel from McLaren teeing up Robertson for a shot from the edge of the box but he pulled his effort wide.

Gavin Swankie then fired a 67th minute free kick just over the bar and moments later McLaren flicked on a Roy punt to give Swankie another opportunity, this time his effort was on target but Samson held it easily.

With six minutes left Dundee at last had a real opportunity, Bobby Mann flicked on a Paul Dixon long throw and Kevin McDonald found himself with a chance from seven yards out, the youngsters' header was directed down, but too fiercely and it bounced up and over the crossbar.

It was hardly one way traffic though and County came close to adding to their goal on several occasions, the final whistle going with the home side deserved winners and their manager Scott Leitch praising their, "magnificent character."

Match report written by Dundee Matchday Programme