Dundee 1
St Mirren 3
League (Premiership)

Match Report

Dundee went down to a 3-1 defeat at the Scot Foam stadium this afternoon. The Dark Blues were well short of their best and a succession of defensive errors allowed the Buddies to run up a three goal lead through Alex Gogic, Scott Tanser and Olutoysi Olusanya. Michael Mellon pulled a goal back for the Dee, but by then the game was out of sight.

Dundee made two changes to the team that lost narrowly to Celtic. Aaron Donnelly and Lyall Cameron returned to the starting eleven, replacing Josh Mulligan and Malachi Boateng who were substitutes.

The Dark Blues could hardly have made a slower start to the game. They didn’t have any meaningful possession in the opening five minutes. Without putting the Dee under uncomfortable pressure St Mirren won four corners in those opening few minutes which were spent entirely in the Dundee half.

Dundee slowly worked their way into the game but made life difficult for themselves with some misplaced passing. The creative players did not get on the ball enough in the face of St Mirren’s hard working midfield.

When the Dee midfielders did get the chance to play they worked some nice passing moves. A beautiful move the full length of the field ended with Luke McCowan unable to control Lyall Cameron’s pass and the ball trickling out for a goal kick.

Another lovely move through the middle gave McCowan the chance to run into the penalty, but Buddies’ keeper Zach Hemmings parried his fierce shot from 16 yards.

These bright moments from the Dee were too isolated, however. They were fleeting flashes of what Dundee can do but surrounded by sloppiness and mediocrity. St Mirren had the better of the midfield battles but they were unable to break through the Dee defence in open play. Set pieces, and especially the second phases, proved to be a different matter.

The opening goal, after 37 minutes, followed a St Mirren free kick wide on the Dee left. Dundee cleared the first ball out to the right where Ryan Strain knocked the ball back to the near post. The defence didn’t clear and a brief goalmouth scramble ended with ALEX GOGIC poking his shot over the line.

Mo Sylla took a head knock in the first half and he was replaced at half time by Malachi Boateng.

Dundee started the second half in exactly the same manner as St Mirren began the first. The Buddies were pushed back and didn’t have any meaningful possession.

The Dark Blues were more assertive in midfield. The creative players were getting on the ball and making passes. Lyall Cameron got plenty of power into a shot from 20 yards, but it was too close to the keeper.

The Dee’s prospects were looking much better now, but just before the hour it all went horribly wrong. St Mirren won a free kick wide on the left. Strain tried to curl his shot into the far top corner but Jon McCracken touched the ball over the bar.

The corner was cleared but Gogic hooked the ball back into the penalty area and the Dee defence fell apart. Scott TANSER touched the ball on to put himself in the clear and he shot low past McCracken to give Saints a decisive two goal lead.

St Mirren had been on the back foot but the second goal gave them a huge surge of confidence. They took control and Dundee lost the momentum they built up after half time.

Curtis Main and Michael Mellon came on for Amadou Bakayoko and Scott Tiffoney and did give the Dee some fresh energy up front. Any hope, however, was extinguished after 72 minutes when St Mirren punished more poor defending and helped themselves to a third goal.

Substitute Keanu Baccus was allowed too much space to run into the penalty area from the right. All the Dark Blues covered other Saints players and nobody closed down Baccus until too late. With the defence all at sea Baccus slipped a sideways pass to Mikael Mandron. He moved the ball on to Olutoysi OLUSANYA who squeezed his shot inside McCracken’s near post. It was a slackly defended and totally preventable goal.

Dundee did respond well, but it was far too late. The Dark Blues pulled a goal back quickly from a set piece wide on the right. Owen Dodgson crossed deep beyond the far post. Aaron Donnelly headed back across goal and Michael MELLON scored with a close range header.

Dundee pushed forward, desperately hunting a goal that would have set up an exciting finale. Lyall Cameron hit a 20 yarder inches wide and Zach Hemming touched Luke McCowan’s low shot from 18 yards against the post. Josh Mulligan came on as a late substitute and he glanced a header narrowly wide.

The Dark Blues kept chasing a second goal, but in doing so they lost thei shape and it was St Mirren who came closest to scoring again in the closing moments. Dundee had largely abandoned conventional defending and Saints substitute James Scott had ample time and space to shoot from 18 yards but McCracken saved well.

This was a very disappointing performance and result for Dundee. There were some positive and pleasing passages of play, but they were isolated. It’s pointless having good 15 minutes if they are book-ended by lengthy passive and error ridden spells which the opposition can exploit.

When Dundee did play to a reasonable standard it wasn’t enough to get through St Mirren and deliver the goals that were required. When the Dee let their standards slip they made the game far too easy for St Mirren and handed the visitors three badly defended goals. Both sides got what they deserved.

All parts of the team can do better than this, and that applies especially to the defence.

Match report written by James Christie - Official Dundee website