Dunfermline Athletic 0
Dundee 1
League (First Division)

Match Report

A Freddie Daquin goal was enough to give Dundee what could be a vital 1-0 win at East End Park. Kevin McDonald found Freddie with a superb ball over the top and the winger did well to fire low past Paul Gallacher.

And Freddie is enjoying the pressure of the promotion run in.

"It is exciting, this is what it is about," he told us after notching the winner against his old club.

The pressure was on for Dundee as they travelled to Fife, with Alex Rae's pre-match statement that draws were no longer good enough for the Dark Blues, and the Dark Blues responded with a win which could have been more emphatic after a sparkling second half show.

Dunfermline were unchanged from the side who had drawn at Palmerston the previous weekend, but Dundee had to make changes, Derek Lyle came in for the suspended Mickael Antoine-Curier while Freddie Daquin started as replacement for hamstring injury victim Paul McHale.

There was a healthy sized travelling support and it was towards their end that the home side attacked in a first half which saw few chances created by either team.

The Pars had the better of possession during that opening forty five but Gary Mackenzie and Eddie Malone looked solid in central defence.

When Dundee finally got into a decent position, in 26 minutes, Kevin McDonald found Colin McMenamin who clipped the ball around Scott Wilson and set off in pursuit only to thwarted by keeper Paul Gallagher who raced from his goal to gather.

Craig Samson was equally alert to deny former Dee Mark Burchill shortly after but it was almost on the interval before there was real danger at either end.

It was Burchill who came close picking the ball up 30 yards out and firing in a dipping shot which Samson dived to save well, he parried the ball to Simmons who cut it back into the six yard box but it was scrambled behind for a corner.

The second half started with Dundee showing real urgency and Freddie Daquin had two half chances in the space of seconds five minutes into the half, but a minute later he was to be the hero of the afternoon.

Daquin laid the ball inside to Kevin McDonald and raced past Owen Morrison and onto the midfielder's return before steadying and firing a low shot past Gallagher and into the net.

Dunfermline came close to hitting back straight away, Stevie Crawford's header from Morrison's cross clipping the post and going out for a goal kick, but it was to be Dundee who would dominate chances from then on.

Paul Gallacher was Dunfermline's saviour in 55 minutes denying McMenamin with a superb save after the striker had got free 12 yards out to latch onto Paul Dixon's shot and fire a shot goalwards.

The travelling support were howling at referee Alan Freeland in 71 minutes as David O'Brien raced onto a McDonald through ball only to have play called back as the officials indicated that the winger had been offside.

Derek Lyle did superbly well to shrug off Wilson's challenge and fire in a perfect cross from the right which found the head of McMenamin, but his effort bulleted inches wide.

Dundee were stretching the home defence and going for the kill but there were no takers for Dixon's lovely cross from the left.

It was Gallagher to the rescue again for Dunfermline with twelve minutes to go getting down brilliantly to deny substitute Bob Davidson, McMenamin and McDonald also trying their luck in the aftermath of that save before the home side manages to scramble the ball away.

With time ticking away nerves began to take hold of the support, those missed chances seemed destined to come back to haunt Dundee, especially when Eddie Malone was penalised for a challenge on Pars player boss Jim Mcintyre but free kick specialist Scott Morrison's effort flew over and the home side never again seriously threatened - the final whistle coming with the first of those must win games returning full points.

Man of the hour Freddie Daquin is right - this is what it's all about.

Match report written by Dundee Matchday Programme