Dundee drew 0-0 against Cove Rangers at the Kilmac Stadium tonight. The Dark Blues dominated from start to finish, but couldn’t find their way through Cove’s packed, deep lying defence. There were chances for Dundee in both halves, but it was one of those nights when the Dee couldn’t find the scoring touch they needed so badly. It was a deeply frustrating night for the supporters, who backed the team noisily to the final whistle.
There were no surprises in the team lines. Dundee named the same starting eleven and substitutes for the third game in a row.
Cove set themselves up with two deep lying bank of fives defenders and four midfielders. Dundee struggled to break through the packed defensive lines all night. After six minutes the Dee created the best attack and chance of the first half. ALex Jakubiak raced to the byline and Zach Robinson stretched to turn his cutback wide of the far post.
Cove offered nothing in attack during a first half when they largely kept 10 players within 40 yards of their own goal. The Dark Blues were being given ample space in midfield to pick their passes. Frustratingly there were too many simple mistakes.
A free kick wide on the left was taken short and Luke McCowan sent an inviting cross to the far post. Lee Ashcroft’s looping header dropped inches over the bar.
There were few chances for the Dee in a first half that was interrupted by a series of stoppages and endless time wasting. Cove tried to slow the game down and kill time at every opportunity, to the annoyance of the home support. Dundee could never settle into a smooth rhythm.
Luke McCowan spooned a shot over the bar from 18 yards after Alex Jakubiak set him up. Lyall Cameron failed to connect properly with a glancing header following good work on the left by Jordan Marshall. McCowan had a shot blocked after he made space well for himself in the penalty area.
Apart from these incidents the first half offered little to excite the fans, and plenty to wind them up. Unusually there were five minutes of added time at the end of the half.
The Dark Blues stepped up the tempo after half time and put Cove under serious pressure. Too often, however, the attempt to step up the pace resulted in attacks breaking down. Crosses and passes were rushed and went astray with frustrating regularity. C
Frantic blocking and scrambling in the goalmouth denied Dundee from one of the few corners that created any real danger to the Cove goal. Although the Dark Blues kept winning corners produced nothing.
Josh Mulligan made a powerful run into the penalty area and passed inside for Zach Robinson who smashed a great chance high over the bar. On the other wing Jordan Marshall raced to the byline but Mulligan headed wide at the far post.
Kwame Thomas and Paul McMullan came on for Alex Jakubiak and Luke Hannant after 71 minutes. The pair were instantly involved in the action, which was all in the final third of the pitch.
Lyall Cameron turned and shot too high from 16 yards as the clock ran down and the tension mounted. Luke McCowan had a header saved from a Mulligan cross.
The crowd didn’t turn on the players and kept backing the team to the end, but the breakthrough just wouldn’t come.
Late in normal time Ben Williason and Ryan Clampin replaced Barry Maguire and Luke McCowan for the final charge.
In the five minutes of injury time the Dee twice went agonisingly close. A 20 yard rocket from Lyall Cameron was turned over the bar by keeper Scott Fox. From the corner Lee Ashcroft headed against the post and Ryan Sweeney shot over the bar from the rebound.
The final whistle was met with a disappointed sigh around the ground. There was no booing or anger, but deep frustration that the Dark Blues couldn’t turn total domination and endless possession into priceless goals. Cove Rangers offered almost nothing in attack all game. They had a brief flurry late in the game when they managed to put a couple of crosses into the Dee box. Adam Legzdins game was restricted to collecting long clearances and passing the ball out to teammates. To give Cove credit, however, they executed their game plan. They came to defend and frustrate, and they worked themselves into the ground to earn their point.
If Dundee had broken through other goals would surely have followed as the players relaxed. As it was, the Dee’s play was often too hurried, with careless mistakes ending so many attacks. There was no shortage of effort, but composure was lacking.
It wasn’t the result we were all hoping for. Now it’s on to the final showdown away to Queen’s Park in seven days time.
Dundee FC 4-4-2
Legzdins
Mulligan, Ashcroft, Sweeney (c), Marshall
McCowan (Clampin 86), Maguire (Williamson 86), Cameron, Hannant (McMullan 71)
Jakubiak (Thomas 71), Robinson
Unused subs: Lawlor (gk), Kerr, Byrne, Fisher, Reedy.
Booked: Maguire (foul on Megginson). Marshall (foul on Glass).
Cove Rangers 5-4-1
Fox
Naismith, Ross, Reynolds, Neill, Logan
Longstaff, Scully, Vigurs (Glass 71), Longridge (Dunne 43)
Megginson (Weston 83)
Unused subs: Gourlay (gk), Bangala.
Booked: Neill (foul on Robinson), Reynolds (foul on Cameron), Megginson (obstructing free kick), Glass (foul on Marshall).
Referee: Greg Aitken. Assistants: Alan Mulvanny, Gordon McCabe. Fourth Official: Calum Scott.
Attendance: 6,862.
Report: James Christie.
