Dundee rounded off their pre-season friendly campaign with a straightforward 3-0 win away to Brechin City. The Dark Blues fielded two completely different teams in each half, but were always comfortably in control. The first half Dee won 2-0 and the second half team won 1-0. Simon Murray put the Dark Blues ahead from the penalty spot in the second minute and then Emile Acquah scored with a cheeky finish. The second half team kept up the pressure on the hosts and Mexican trialist Jose Urias completed the scoring with a late goal.
The Dark Blues could hardly have got off to a better start, winning a penalty after only 20 seconds. Brechin keeper Ross Matthews was a fraction of a second late challenging for a long ball and wiped out Fin Robertson. Simon MURRAY struck his spot kick low and firmly into the corner.
Dundee were too quick and skillful for Brechin to handle and surged forward in a series of attacks. Tony Yogane was a constant threat and terrorised the right of City’s defence. Some neat approach play and set up by Emile Acquah sent Ethan Ingram clear but he scooped his finish wide.
The second goal arrived in the 17th minute. An attack down the right was stopped but Paul Digby picked up the loose ball and crossed for ACQUAH to score with a sublime finish, using his heel to flick the ball home between his legs and across the keeper.
A couple of minutes later Yogane was denied by a fine save by Matthews after cutting inside and curling a shot towards the top corner.
The Dee kept attacking with conviction and should really have had more goals before half time. Some fine, fluent moves never quite had the right final ball to set up a goal.
Brechin struggled to make any impact on the game, but in their only two attacks of any significance they did have a couple of penalty claims, the first for handball and the second for a challenge by Ryan Astley. However, Dundee were dominant throughout the first half and were well worth a two goal lead.
Dundee’s second half team featured five Mexicans. Cesar Garza and Chespi Lopez are already on loan and they were joined by trialists Oscar Soto, Jose Urias and Jorge Landeros.
Dundee continued to dominate and had little trouble containing Brechin’s few attacks. Plamen Galabov impressed as a solid and sensible centre back. Coming forward the Dark Blues were neat on the ball in the second half, with the Mexicans showing fine close control. However, Dundee, without a strong physical presence up front, couldn’t turn some good approach play into clear chances.
Clark Robertson was desperately close to a third goal but his header from a corner was cleared with an astonishingly unorthodox backheel by a defender on the goal line.
Finally, after 86 minutes trialist Jose Urias finished delightfully, taking a short pass from Imari Samuels, skipping past the last defender and shooting high into the net.
This was a pretty comfortable victory over Highland League opponents and there were certainly encouraging signs from all the new players. That’s the end of the pre-season campaign, and it’s on to competitive action next Saturday in the Premier Sports Cup
Brechin City 5-4-2
Matthews (trialist 23 at half time)
Spark (trialist 16 at half time), Sweeney, McKay, Hutchinson, Taylor (trialist 14 at 64)
Ferguson (trialist 17 at 64), MacLeod, Klimionek (Moreland 35)
Armour (Findlay 42 (Milne 74)), Sheridan (trialist 19 at 64)
Unused subs: none.
Booked: MacLeod (foul on Urias0, trialist 19 (foul on Galabov).
Dundee FC 1st half 4-4-2
Trevor Carson
Ethan Ingram, Ryan Astley, Billy Koumetio, Luke Graham
Finlay Robertson, Paul Digby, Ethan Crombie, Tony Yogane
Simon Murray (c), Emile Acquah
Dundee FC 2nd half 4-3-2-1
Jon McCracken
Drey Wright, Plamen Galabov, Clark Robertson, Aaron Donnelly
trialist Oscar Soto, Cesar Garza, Imari Samuels
trialist Jose Urias, Chespi Lopez
trialist Jorge Landeros
Unused substitutes: Harry Sharp (gk), Tobi Davies-Browne, Ashton Leiper.
Goals: Murray (2 pen), Acquah (17), Urias (86).
Booked: none.
Referee: Stewart Luke. Assistants: William Ferguson, Ewan Pow.
Report: James Christie.
