Dundee 1
St Johnstone 1
League (Premiership)

Match Report

Dundee had to settle for a point from a 1-1 at Dens Park against St Johnstone despite taking the lead in the 88th minute through substitute Charlie Reilly. The Dark Blues should have held out for a win, but two minutes later poor defending allowed Josh Fowler to equalise. The Dark Blues were second best for most of a disappointing match and a point was the most that they deserved.

Dundee made three changes from the team that lost to Hibs on Sunday. Bobby Wales came in for his first start in the place of Bradley Fink. Brad Halliday and Alan Forrest replaced Drey Wright and Charlie Reilly.

The Dark Blues started slowly and only fleetingly improved throughout a poor first half.
St Johnstone had the first chance when Enes Alic sent over a low cross for Taylor Steven whose hammered a shot from 12 yards straight at Owen Goodman who beat it away.

Saints dominated possession throughout the first half against a Dee side that struggled to get on the ball, and offered little in attack. There was a brief spell, lasting only a few minutes, when Dundee did exert pressure on St Johnstone’s defence. Alan Forrest ran on to Ethan Hamilton’s pass but his shot was blocked by Zach Mitchell, an excellent piece of penalty box defending. Joe Westley beat keeper Toby Steward to a cross from Joe Bevan only for his header to drift wide.

Dundee’s improvement did not last long and soon Saints were back on the attack. Taylor Steven found the net with a deflected shot after Dundee couldn’t clear a corner, but referee Ross Hardie spotted a push and disallowed the goal.

The last 20 minutes of the half were largely one way traffic towards Dundee’s goal. Saints couldn’t turn possession into good chances. The Dark Blues were struggling to do anything on the ball but the defence was solid. Goodman had to make a good stop in a penalty box scramble, and the Dark Blues were happy to reach half time without falling behind.

The second half brought little improvement at first. St Johnstone had most of the ball but Dundee’s defence contined to hold firm and Goodman had little to trouble him.

The Dark Blues should have taken the lead against the run of play on the hour. Alan Forrest chipped a pass over the top to send Joe Westley racing clear. Perhaps he had too much time to think and sent a poor shot wide.

Bradley Fink and Fin Robertson came off the bench to replace Bobby Wales and Alan Forrest. Brad Halliday was then substituted by Drey Wright. Dundee started to play with more urgency, getting into good positions and giving the Saints defence real problems.

Charlie Reilly came on for Joe Bevan and he passed up a good chance when the ball broke to him 15 yards out but he smashed a fierce shot over the bar.

The game opened up in the last 10 minutes and Dundee began to look more dangerous with the extra space available. Finally Dundee broke the deadlock after 87 minutes. Fin Robertson chased a long pass to the byline and played the ball back for Ryan Finnigan to cross. Westley sent a looping header over the keeper against the crossbar and Charlie REILLY headed the rebound home.

The Dark Blues should have been able to see the game out, but a defensive error gifted Saints an equaliser in the 90th minute. Under pressure Owen Bevan passed to Goodman who didn’t connect properly with his clearance. It went to Macaulay Tait 25 yards from goal He played it straight back into the goalmouth for Josh FOWLER to turn and shoot high into the net.

Both sides will feel with good reason that they should have won. Saints were the better team between the two penalty areas for most of the game, but lacked a cutting edge to turn possession into goals. Dundee were nowhere near their best at any stage, but still managed to create better chances than Saints could manage.

The defence, and Owen Goodman in particular, were very sound up till that late mistake. If Dundee had taken all three points it would have harsh on Saints, but it would have been the defence we had to thank for keeping the Dee in the game. It’s a pity that such a late defensive mistake cost Dundee the win.

When the Dark Blues click they are a pleasure to watch. Tonight they were well short of their best and a point was the most they deserved. The team needs to have more control in midfield, and deliver more sustained attacking rather than relying on fast breaks. It’s a young and relatively inexperienced team. There is considerable potential there, and they can certainly improve on this performance.

Match report written by James Christie - Official Dundee Website