Dundee signed off a successful 2023/24 with a 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock at the Scot Foam Stadium. Gary Mackay-Steven put Killie ahead midway through the first half but Luke McCowan equalised before half time. Kilmarnock had their best spell of the match early in the second half and hit the woodwork twice. Dundee took over in the last half hour and could have won when they were awarded a late penalty but Luke McCowan missed from the spot.
There were two changes to the Dee’s starting eleven. Aaron Donnelly and Josh Mulligan came in for Ryan Astley and Malachi Boateng who were on the bench.
Anyone who turned up 20 minutes late would have missed nothing except a moving tribute to nine year old Stuart Gauld who died on Monday. Both sets of supporters applauded loudly.
The game started slowly and neither side could put their passes together. The goalkeepers had nothing more to worry about than the occasional sloppy back-pass. The match didn’t start as a contest until the first goal arrived out of the blue.
We didn’t even see a corner until the 23rd minute when the Dark Blues finally won one. Dundee made rather a hash of it and Fraser Murray raced away on the left with the Dee defence out of position. Murray cut in, his shot was blocked and Gary MACKAY-STEVEN followed up to sweep the ball home.
Dundee didn’t provide much of a response as their passes continued to go astray. Kilmarnock offered little more, but they were worth their lead if only because they were making fewer mistakes.
Only Luke McCowan had been showing his true form for the Dark Blues and it was fitting that he levelled the scores after 37 minutes (or 39 if you time it when the referee eventually confirmed the goal).
Scott Tiffoney took a long ball in his stride to race clear on the right. He sent a low pass across goal for McCOWAN to smash the equaliser past Will Dennis. The assistant’s flag went up for offside against Tiffoney but after a VAR review the goal was correctly allowed. Tiffoney timed his run perfectly and the video evidence showed he was onside.
Killie went closest to scoring again before half time. Murray cut in again from the left and his shot across goal wasn’t far off target.
Dara Costelloe replaced Josh Mulligan at half time. Dundee did have a brighter start than in the first half but soon it was Kilmarnock who were creating more danger. Murray shot from the angle of the penalty area. Jon McCracken would have dealt with the shot but Marley Watkins applied the slightest of touches with his head to divert the ball against the bar.
Killie plugged away at the Dee and hit the bar again 10 minutes later. Murray’s free kick from 30 yards hit the corner of the woodwork and Jordan McGhee headed behind for a corner.
After that tricky spell Dundee stepped up their game to have the better of the last 30 minutes. Curtis Main and Malachi Boateng came on for Amadou Bakayo and Mo Sylla. The Dark Blues were still short of their fluent best but a winner always looked possible thanks to constant hard work and a willingness to keep running to find space.
Dundee’s hopes of grabbing a win were raised when Robbie Deas picked up a strange second yellow card for a foul on Dara Costelloe. He seemed to have escaped when referee Calum Scott showed the card to Stuart Findlay but a VAR review for mistaken identity confirmed the true culprit and Deas was off.
The Dee should have won the game when they were awarded a penalty after 87 minutes. Luke Donnelly downed Costelloe in the penalty area, but Luke McCowan’s spot kick flew wide.
Dundee kept pushing for a winner in the five minutes of added time but it didn’t happen. McCowan sent a 25 yard free kick over the bar and missed with another effort from the edge of the penalty area.
It wasn’t a classic and both sides have played better in the previous matches between the clubs this season. It was highly competitive and a draw was a fair result in the end. Neither set of fans were too disappointed at the final whistle after a successful season for both clubs.
This time last year Dundee had three players under contract for the first season back in the Premiership and were the hot favourites for instant relegation. Achieving a top six finish has been an outstanding achievement in Tony Docherty’s first season as manager.
Dundee FC 4-1-3-2
McCracken
McGhee, , Portales, Donnelly, Dodgson
Sylla (Boateng 70)
Mulligan (Costelloe at half time), Cameron (Robertson 62), McCowan
Bakayoko (Main 70), Tiffoney (Howley 84)
Unused subs: Sharp (gk), Astley, Robinson, Mellon.
Goal: McCowan (37).
Booked: Main (foul on Cameron).
Kilmarnock 3-4-1-2
Dennis
Wright, Deas, Findlay,
Mackay-Steven (Armstrong 59), Donnelly, Polworth (Stewart at half time), Ndaba
McKenzie (c) (Watson 86)
Watkins (Cameron 59), Murray (Balagizi 70)
Unused subs: O’Hara (gk), Vassell, Kennedy, van Veen.
Goal: Mackay-Steven (24).
Booked: Wright (foul on McCowan), Deas (foul on Boateng), Deas (foul on Costelloe).
Sent off: Deas (two bookings).
Referee: Calum Scott. Assistants: David Roome, Colin Drummond. Fourth Official: Lloyd Wilson. VAR: John Beaton. Assistant VAR: Gordon Crawford.
Attendance: 6,637 (1,678 away).
Report: James Christie
