Dundee went down to a heavy 4-0 defeat against Livingston in Mark McGhee’s first home match as manager. Bad defending allowed Livingston to help themselves to a three goal lead by the middle of the first half. Bruce Anderson scored twice either side of a Scott Pittman goal. Jack Fitzwater completed the scoring in the second half to give Livingston the margin of victory they deserved.
Dundee’s only change from the team that lost narrowly at Celtic Park was Zak Rudden starting in the place of Paul McMullan who was on the bench.
The Dark Blues began promisingly, putting together some good moves in the first few minutes, but with no end product. It was hardly a sign of what was to come.
Any early optimism was quickly crushed when Livingston scored with their first attack. Alan Forrest made a good run into the penalty area from the left wing, although the Dee defence was lamentably reluctant to put in a tackle. From the byline Forrest hit a fierce low cross to the near post. Ian Lawlor parried and Bruce ANDERSON had a tap in.
Dundee spent the next 10 minutes attacking, but with little conviction or penetration. Zeno Ibsen Rossi had a shot blocked after Cammy Kerr played a second ball in following a free kick. That highlighted one of the big differences between the sides. When the Dee got into good positions in wide areas defenders either met the crosses or crowded out Dundee players. When Livi got forward on the wings they were likely to score. Every cross had Dundee in trouble.
After 18 minutes Livingston were two up, and the second goal was just as badly defended as the first. Joel Nouble picked up the ball on the right and Cammy Kerr allowed him to get round on the outside far too easily. Nouble’s hard low cross from the byline evaded Lawlor and Scott PITTMAN couldn’t miss from a few feet out.
Two minutes later the Dark Blues shipped another dreadful goal. Livingston were awarded a free kick 35 yards from goal in the inside right channel. The Dee defence switched off as the kick was taken quickly to play Nicky Devlin into space down the right. Yet another hard low cross carved open Dundee and ANDERSON had his second, a simple tap in once again.
With only 20 minutes gone the game was as good as over. Dundee never looked remotely like staging a comeback. The immediate response of the new management team was to send on Paul McMullan for Zeno Ibsen Rossi as the team switched to 4-4-2.
The reorganisation made no difference. Livingston were sharper and more mobile in midfield, seldom allowing Dundee to build effective attacks. The visitors’ central defence took no chances and no prisoners when Dundee tried to attack through the middle. The Dark Blues had more joy attacking down the wings, especially the right, but the crosses never found a Dee. The Livingston defence mopped up everything.
Dundee made two substitutions at half time. Charlie Adam and Niall McGinn came on for Shaun Byrne and Josh Mulligan. But Livingston immediately made it clear that they had no intention of relinquishing their grip on the game.
McMullan was fortunate not to concede a penalty with a clumsy challenge. Bruce Anderson shot narrowly wide from James Penrice’s low cross and Pittman went close with a fierce low shot from 25 yards.
Pittman did get the ball into the net when he followed up after Lawlor saved well from Bruce Anderson, but he was flagged for offside.
Dundee rejigged the team again when Jordan Marshall came on for Zak Rudden. Marshall went to left back, Kerr to right back, Daley-Campbell to right midfield, and McMullan to a central striking role. Sadly the Dee remained second best all over the park.
The fourth goal arrived midway through the second half. Forrest’s corner was cleared back to him. Instead of hoisting a high ball into the goalmouth Forrest sent a low pass to central defender Jack FITZWATER, who had time and space to shoot across Lawlor and inside the far post. It was a ridiculously simple and poorly defended goal to concede, but very much in line with the first three.
Livingston might have added to their tally, and a fifth goal was always more likely than a consolation for the Dee. Substitute Andrew Shinnie came closest, with a curling low shot that brought a very good save from Lawlor.
There should surely have been more than the one minute of injury time that was played, but the game was utterly bereft of life by that stage. The sooner the final whistle blew the better.
Football is a team game, and Dundee failed as a team today. They were poor in every area. The defending was abject, particularly in that opening 20 minutes when Livingstone scored with every attack.
Once Livingston had a three goal lead they were able to take full control of the game. There was the occasional spark of life from the Dee in the first half, although none of it amounted to a serious goal threat. In the second half Dundee created nothing and went down far too meekly to a painful defeat that did not flatter Livingston.
Dundee FC 5-2-2
Lawlor
Daley-Campbell, Sweeney, McGhee (c), Ibsen Rossi (McMullan 23), Kerr
Mulligan (McGinn at half time), Byrne (Adam at half time), Anderson (McGowan 80)
Rudden (Marshall 59), Mullen
Unused subs: Sharp (gk), Fontaine, Elliott, McCowan.
Booked: Mullen (foul on Pittman), Daley-Campbell (foul on Forrest).
Livingston 4-3-3
Stryjek
Devlin (c), Fitzwater, Obileye, Penrice (Longridge 80)
Pittman (Shinnie 84), Holt, Omeonga
Forrest (Chukwuemeka 80), Anderson (Soto 71), Nouble (Bailey 71)
Unused subs: Konovalov (gk), Montano, Boyes, Kelly.
Goals: Anderson (6, 20), Pittman (18), Fitzwater (65).
Booked: none.
Attendance: 4,679.
Referee: Bobby Madden. Assistants: Calum Spence, Sean Carr. Fourth Official: Alan Newlands.
Report: James Christie.
