The Dark Blues earned a hard fought 1-0 win against Hamilton Accies at the Kilmac Stadium this afternoon. Paul McMullan scored the vital goal early in the second half. Dundee were not at their best but defended stoutly to ensure that Accies attempted fightback late in the match came to nothing.
Dundee started with three changes from the side that beat Raith last week. Shaun Byrne and Ben Williamson retained their places after replacing Joe Grayson and Max Anderson, who were both injured. Cillian Sheridan also started in the place of Josh Mulligan, who had a knock but made the bench.
The Dee went close in the first 30 seconds. The Hamilton defence got into a fankle and Cammy Kerr shot narrowly wide from 18 yards. Dundee continued to show promise playing some pleasing football in the opening 25 minutes. Frustratingly the final ball was never quite right, or the shot was wayward.
A lovely lay off by Zach Robinson sent Paul McMullan racing through the middle, but Ryan Fulton got down well to save the low drive.
Midway through the first half Kerr cut inside and his shot was blocked in front of the keeper. Cillian Sheridan was first to the loose ball but he couldn’t screw his pass back from the byline to a teammate.
In the last 20 minutes of the half the Dark Blues’ play became disjointed and too many attacks ended tamely with the ball being lost. The zip and intensity we saw last week was missing and Hamilton were granted too much easy possession.
Accies almost took the lead after half an hour when Dario Zanatta’s low cross was met at the far post by Andrew Winter’s volley. Ian Lawlor pulled off an outstanding close range save and the Dark Blues were relieved to be awarded a free kick after Ryan Sweeney put his head in the way of Jean-Pierre Tiéhi’s boot to block the follow up. Lawlor’s save and the utterly committed defending by Sweeney had supporters wondering “did they really do that?”
Ben Williamson looked the player most likely to create a spark in attack. The midfielder unsettled Accies with some aggressive runs, but Dundee couldn’t turn any of them into good chances.
Little was coming off for the two strikers. Robinson received some heavy treatment and would have benefited from a less tolerant referee. Sheridan struggled to make an impact and was replaced at half time by Zak Rudden.
Lee Ashcroft almost put the Dee ahead when Accies failed to clear a corner, but keeper Fulton lunged with his boot to block the shot on the line. Lawlor also had to save well from a corner to keep out Dario Zanetta’s glancing header.
Dundee were again playing their way into good positions without finishing off the moves, but after 57 minutes they put everything together beautifully.
Williamson’s long pass allowed Rudden to run behind the defensive line into space on the left. He controlled the ball, and skinned the covering defender with clever footwork. As the supporting players raced into the penalty area Rudden took full advantage and his pass across goal set up Paul McMULLAN to score with an easy chance from six yards.
With Dundee in the lead a more open game would have suited Zach Robinson but he limped off injured after an hour and Derick Osei replaced him. The Dee put Accies under serious pressure, constantly threatening to extend their lead. Again there was a succession of good moves that sent players into good positions, but Dundee could never find the right final ball.
After 70 minutes Accies gave the Dee a huge scare when Reegan Minmaugh’s 20 yard shot hit both posts before Andy Ryan’s shot was blocked.
Hamilton did not give up and had a real go in the later stages, but they lacked the quality to set up good chances. When they got into the penalty area there was always a Dee defender on hand and Accies were restricted to harmless shots from distance that did not trouble Ian Lawlor.
Fin Robertson replaced Ben Williamson for the last 20 minutes and gave a tidy and effective performance in the heart of the midfield.
The final whistle was met with relief as much as pleasure and excitement. Accies will doubtless be disappointed to take nothing from the game, but Dundee had the edge in every department. In particular the defence was solid when the Dark Blues had to see out the game, and deserved their second successive clean sheet.
The win extends the Dee’s unbeaten league run to seven games, with three victories on the bounce. It was not a game that will live long in the memory, and it certainly was not as entertaining as the previous two matches. But three points and a clean sheet are exactly what Dundee needed today in such a tight league.
Dundee FC 3-4-1-2
Lawlor
McGhee, Sweeney (c), Ashcroft
French, Williamson (Robertson 71), Byrne, Kerr
McMullan
Robinson (Osei 60), Sheridan (Rudden at half time)
Unused subs: Legzdins (gk), Sharp, Jakubiak, Mulligan, McCowan, Cameron.
Goal: McMullan (57).
Booked: Rudden (kicking the ball away).
Hamilton Academical 4-2-3-1
Fulton
Doyle, O’Reilly, Easton (c), Shiels
Martin, Mimnaugh
Winter (Lewis Smith 69), Zanatta, Ryan,
Tiéhi (One 69)
Unused subs: Jamie Smith (gk), Brown, Owens, McGinn, Newbury, Black, Morgan.
Booked: Easton (foul on Robinson).
Referee: Graham Grainger. Assistants: Chris Rae, Andrew McWilliam.
Attendance: 4,293 (117 away).
Report: James Christie.
