Battling Dundee fought their way back from two goals down to earn a 3-3 draw against Morton at the Kilmac Stadium this afternoon. Morton took an early lead through Darragh O’Connor but Luke Hannant equalised with his first goal for the Dee. Midway through the second half Robbie Muirhead and Jack Baird put Morton 3-1 ahead. Kwame Thomas came off the bench and quickly pulled a goal back. Deep into injury time Thomas thrilled the Dees in the stands with a deserved equaliser to leave the Dark Blues one point clear at the top of the Championship.
The only change to the Dee starting eleven was Barry Maguire replacing Jordan McGhee, who had not recovered from his injury in Tuesday’s win against Raith.
Dundee got off to a sluggish start and were largely stuck in their own half in the first five minutes.
Dundee slowly improved without being convincing. Lyall Cameron and Luke McCowan set up a half chance for Josh Mulligan who blasted over from 16 yards.
Lee Ashcroft twice had a go. A header from a corner was too high and a volley following a free kick flew wide.
The Dark Blues fell behind after 17 minutes. They couldn’t work the ball clear following a corner and conceded another. This one was allowed to bounce in front of goal and,with his back to goal, central defender Darragh O’CONNOR hooked a shot from 12 yards over Adam Legzdins and under the post. From a Morton perspective it was neat opportunism. From a Dee point of view it was poor defending.
Dundee’s immediate response was poor. The attacks were not clicking. The strikers were having a hard time against some physical defending. The midfield was not creating enough and the tempo was slow.
Unusually the Dark Blues’s defending of set pieces didn’t inspire confidence. O’Connor came close to a second goal when his free header from a corner wasn’t far wide.
Finally after 32 minutes the Dee got it right. Zach Robinson dug out a beautiful cross from the byline on the right. The ball sailed over the keeper for Luke HANNANT to score with a close range header at the far post.
The goal gave the Dark Blues a surge of confidence and energy. At last the attacks carried more threat. Shortly before the break Josh Mulligan drilled a low 20 yarder narrowly wide following a corner.
Dundee started the second half brightly and put in some promising early attacking moves. McCowan headed just wide from a Hannant cross.
The Dark Blues were threatening to break through when they conceded a goal after 59 minutes from one of the few moments of quality in a game in which passion and graft were more evident than skill.
Morton’s centre forward George Oakley had been wrestling, literally, with the Dee central defenders all afternoon. He and Ryan Sweeney fought for a long ball and Oakley got the referee’s decision, which gave Morton a free kick 35 yards from goal.
Robbie MUIRHEAD swept the free kick over the wall and into the top corner. One could debate the free kick award, but there was no arguing with the quality of the goal.
That was a blow to the Dark Blues, and it seemed to stun the team. Only five minutes later they switched off and conceded a third goal.
Calvin Miller’s long ball from the right evaded the Dee defence and Jack BAIRD dived to head home at the far post.
This time Dundee did respond positively and forcefully. Gary Bowyer threw on Kwame Thomas and Paul McMullan for Alex Jakubiak and Luke McCowan.
Within four minutes Barry Maguire was fouled as he drove into the penalty area from the right. The referee awarded the free kick a foot outside the box despite the crowd’s screams for a spot kick.
It made no difference because Hannant chipped the free kick to the far post where Kwame THOMAS headed home.
The goal transformed the game, lifting the crowd and the players. Dundee threw themselves at Morton, but lacked composure and repeatedly botched the final ball – a problem all afternoon.
The away side’s time-wasting was painful to watch and antagonised the home support and eventually the referee.
A keenly contested game became increasingly bad tempered and the Dee players did well to keep their card count down to a single yellow, to substitute Pierre Reedy.
The Dark Blues were never at their best today, but they refused to give up and concede the points. They kept going and got their reward right at the very end.
With the clock ticking towards 94 minutes the Dee won a free kick by the left corner flag. Paul McMullan added a touch of agonising tension by tying up his bootlaces before sending his delivery into the packed six yard box.
Nobody got a clean header and Kwame THOMAS reacted fastest to crack home his second goal. It was hardly a pretty or elegant goal, but the Dee players willed the ball into the net because they were determined to fight till the very end.
Morton might feel aggrieved at losing a goal so late, but they can hardly complain after their endless time-wasting.
Unfortunately Zach Robinson and Alex Jakubiak were taking some heavy treatment from behind today and received little protection. Kwame Thomas was the perfect substitute to come on and give the defenders a different, and unwelcome, physical problem. He thoroughly deserved his goals.
Ordinarily a draw in these circumstances would have been disappointing, but fighting back from two goals down to earn a point with a goal after 94 minutes thrilled the crowd and ensured the fans left the ground with relieved smiles.
It was just a point but it might prove crucial, and the way the Dee battled for that point was exactly what the supporters wanted to see.
Dundee were never as fluent or attractive as they have been in recent home games, but today was not the time for pretty frills. The Dark Blues had to show fight and character, and they delivered.
Dundee FC 4-4-2
Legzdins
Mulligan, Ashcroft, Sweeney (c), Marshall
McCowan (McMullan 66), Maguire (Williamson 84), Cameron, Hannant (Reedy 84)
Jakubiak (Thomas 66), Robinson
Unused subs: Lawlor (gk), Kerr, Byrne, Fisher, Clampin.
Goals: (Hannant 32, Thomas 71, 90+4).
Booked: Reedy (foul on O’Connor).
Morton 4-2-3-1
Schwake
Grimshaw, Baird, O’Connor, Waters
McGrattan, Gillespie (c) (Blues 57)
Miller (King 69), Robbie Crawford (Ali Crawford 84), Muirhead
Oakley
Unused subs: Green (gk), Roy, Ambrose, Garrity.
Goals: O’Connor (17), Muirhead (59), Baird (64).
Booked: Gillespie (foul on Robinson), Blues (foul on Maguire), Schwake (timewasting), Oakley (foul on Robinson).
Referee: Chris Graham. Assistants: Daniel McFarlane, Brian Christie.
Attendance: 5,246 (157 away).
Report: James Christie.
