Partick Thistle 2
Dundee 4
League (Premiership)

Match Report

Dundee made light of difficult wintry conditions to run up a convincing 4-2 win at Partick Thistle this afternoon. The Dark Blues tore the Jags apart in the first half with a penalty by Kane Hemmings, two goals from Gary Harkins and one by Greg Stewart. David Amoo pulled a goal back for Thistle after Dundee's third, and Kris Doolan scored a last minute consolation for the home side.

Both teams made two changes. Darren O'Dea made his debut, replacing James McPake and Greg Stewart returned from suspension. Thistle brought back Mustapha Dumbuya in the place of Gary Miller and David Wilson came in for the suspended Abdul Osman.

The Dark Blues started confidently and slickly on the tricky pitch. They were much the sharper side, stretching Thistle's nervous defence and briskly breaking up the occasional home attack.

After only six minutes the Dee won a penalty through Gary Harkins' pressing and skill. He robbed Liam Lindsay on the left wing and ran on into the penalty area. Lindsay managed to track back to cover, but when Harkins cut inside him he downed the Dee captain. Kane HEMMINGS smashed the spot kick high into the net.

Dundee went two up less than three minutes later. Home keeper Tomas Cerny couldn't take Greg Stewart's high free kick under pressure from Darren O'Dea and HARKINS collected the ball to stroke it into the empty net.

Thistle looked in a state of shock under the falling snow and their defenders had all the composure of Bambi on ice. Dundee threatened to score every time they came forward and number three arrived just before the quarter hour. Paul McGowan won the ball in midfield, allowing Harkins space to pick his pass for Greg STEWART to run in from the right and curl home a predictably sublime goal. Thistle might have been sloppy, but in punishing their hosts Dundee were impressively sharp and ruthless.

For a spell it was shooty in at the Thistle end as the Dee ripped their way through the Jags' defence. Cerny made a great save to keep out McGowan's chip, then Hemmings cracked a shot against the post from the edge of the area, and Harkins shot over the bar after the home defence disintegrated under pressure.

Thistle managed to pull themselves together to win a couple of corners, and briefly dug themselves back into the game. Bannigan's corner was returned to him, and his cross was nodded on by Lindsay for David AMOO to head past Bain from close range.

The Jags took heart from the goal and put Dundee under pressure for 10 minutes. Dundee responded well and gradually took the sting out of Thistle's game to reassert control. With the Dee once again composed and confident the outlook for Thistle was as bleak as the weather.

After 37 minutes Dundee ended the game as a serious contest with a goal of stunning quality that surpassed the delightful third. Nick Ross picked up a loose pass in midfield. He played the ball on to Hemmings whose instant flick gave HARKINS time to take a touch on the edge of the penalty area and whip a marvellous shot around Cerny and into the top corner.

From then on Dundee were in charge and the points always looked safe. The second half lacked the fireworks of the first 45 minutes as Dundee professionally kept control and saw out the game. The Dark Blues were far more comfortable on the ball and dealt with the tricky pitch much better than Thistle. Dundee made life easier for themselves by keeping possession coolly while Thistle constantly struggled to hold onto the ball.

Thistle huffed and puffed, but even when they attacked Dundee always looked capable of adding to their lead with a breakaway. Lindsay picked up a second yellow card when he downed Stewart just outside the penalty area, and the Jags had to play the last 15 minutes with 10 men.

Paul McGowan came closest to a fifth goal when he hit the outside of the post from 25 yards. With the game dead and the undertakers gathering Thistle made the scoreline marginally more respectable. Bain had to parry a fierce 20 yard shot from Booth and Kris DOOLAN turned the loose ball into the net.

A 4-2 win away to a team in fine form is a tremendous result for the Dee. They handled the conditions and the home side's efforts superbly, keeping their shape and concentration, whilst creating endless danger through Hemmings, Stewart, and especially Gary Harkins who had an outstanding game. The former Partick player contributed two goals and two assists to delight the noisy travelling support.

The defence may be disappointed about losing two goals, but for the most part they were comfortable and Darren O'Dea fitted in well alongside Thomas Konrad. Dundee's attack will get most of the attention, but the midfield trio of McGowan, Ross and Low had a highly effective match. All round this was an excellent and very impressive win for the Dee.

Match report written by James Christie - Official Dundee website