Dundee 4
Motherwell 1
League (Premiership)

Match Report

Dundee got back on track with an emphatic 4-1 win at Dens Park over Motherwell that was every bit as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. Early goals from Alex Harris and Greg Stewart set the Dark Blues on their way. John Sutton pulled a goal back for Well before Gary Irvine gave the Dee a deserved 3-1 half time lead. Dundee dominated the second half and added a fourth, an own goal by Marc O'Brien. A red card for Henrik Ojamaa shortly before half time compounded Motherwell's miserable afternoon.

Paul Hartley was rewarded for the faith he showed in the players who should have beaten Ross County last week. He made only one change to Dundee's line up; new signing Kosta Gadzhalov replaced the injured James McPake in central defence where he had a sound debut.

The Dee got off to a perfect start with two goals in the first 10 minutes. After only three minutes David Clarkson swept a good pass out to the right wing. Alex HARRIS cut inside and his shot from 22 yards took a big deflection off McManus that left keeper Twardzik helpless as the ball sailed into the net.

Motherwell youngster Dominic Thomas threatened the Dundee goal with a good run down the left, followed by a dangerous low cross that flashed across goal. However, most of the threat was coming from the eager Dark Blues who extended their lead after eight minutes. Clarkson nodded the ball on to send Greg Stewart racing clear. Twardzik did well to turn the shot onto the post but STEWART simply nodded it back into the empty net.

Stewart nearly added a quick third with a smart turn and shot, but Twardzik saved well. Motherwell's defence was struggling badly against a wave of Dark Blue attacks and more goals seemed to be on the cards.

Frustratingly, the next goal was for the visitors, and against the run of play. Ojamaa flicked Lasley's pass on to leave Law clear on the right wing. He fired over a low cross for SUTTON to score with a neat finish at the near post.

The goal didn't rattle the Dee who continued to press Motherwell back, probing for a third goal. Stewart's deep corner found Gadzdalov beyond the far post and his header down into the goalmouth led to a scramble that Well were relieved to escape.

Motherwell's defending at set pieces was unconvincing and they lost a bad third from a corner. Twardzik made two good saves in quick succession from Clarkson and Harris, clawing away shots that were heading for his top corner. However, the former Dundee keeper's good work was undone when he dropped Stewart's corner under pressure, and Gary IRVINE crashed the loose ball into the roof of the net.

The Dark Blues were comfortably in charge now against a poor Motherwell side, and the visitors' task became almost impossible just before half time. Henrik Ojamaa seemed to catch Kevin Thomson with his elbow, right in front of the referee, and received a straight red card.

Dundee started the second half confidently, with good passing and movement as the Dee hunted a killer fourth goal. Clarkson went very close with a dipping 20 yard shot that scraped the outside of the post. Stewart then went equally close, curling a shot narrowly wide from a clever corner routine.

Paul Hartley then made a triple substitution only eight minutes into the second half. Irvine, Thomson and McAlister were all withdrawn, with Dyer, Harkins and Tankulic coming on. Harkins settled in behind Clarkson and Tankulic. Greg Stewart dropped back to play a deeper role in midfield and Alex Harris moving further infield to leave acres of space on the right for Paul McGinn to attack.

Dundee should have scored a fourth within seconds of the changes when Harris's cross eluded the defence. Harkins controlled the ball, but Twardzik managed to block his close range shot.

Harris then wasted a good opportunity with an overhit pass that failed to find Tankulic who was clear in front of goal. The fourth goal followed quickly. Gadzhalov had stayed up following a free kick that came to nothing and nodded McGowan's cross on to send Tankulic in on goal. Twardzik managed to block, but the keeper and Marc O'BRIEN got in each others' way, allowing the ball to bobble off the defender and over the line for a ludicrous own goal.

The rest of the match was excruciating for a Motherwell team who could do little more than hang on desperately to try and prevent the score getting more embarrassing. The Dark Blues were almost toying with the visitors as they pressed for a fifth.

Harris went very close with a 30 yard shot and Clarkson had a close range header deflected for a corner. Finally Harris played a clever one-two with Tankulic before his shot flicked off a defender and wide. The Dee saw out the match in total control and the final whistle couldn't come quickly enough for the beleaguered visitors.

A good start was vital after Dundee's poor recent run, and the early goals made a massive difference to the confidence of the players. Dundee looked like scoring every time they came forward and there was no shortage of entertainment to please the home support on a bitterly cold day.

Motherwell were certainly poor, but Dundee gave them little chance to trouble Scott Bain's goal. Nervous fans might have worried when Well pulled a goal back, but the Dee never looked in trouble after that. The midfield were well balanced and highly effective today, providing good cover to the defence while creating endless opportunities in attack. Kosta Gadzhalov dealt well with everthing he had to do in the first half. After the break he had to do little more than keep his concentration and start attacks from the back as the visitors fell right out of the match.

This was much more like the Dundee side that started the season so well and as the Dark Blues cruised through the second half it was hard to believe that they had gone eight league games without a win.

Match report written by James Christie - Official Dundee website