A point from this game would have seen the Dens youngsters finish above both St Johnstone and Dundee United in the SPFL Development League but it was not to be as the Dark Blues ended the season with a whimper after a third successive defeat.

Played at McDiarmid Park the day before Perth Races began Saints won in a canter as Dundee struggled to make headway in a game that had an end of season feel about it.

Early pressure brought a series of corners for the home team and the visiting defence was hard pressed to keep them out.

In a rare attack by the Dark Blues keeper Mark Hurst fumbled the ball and Craig Wighton played it back to Gary Harkins whose shot was blocked.

Dundee won their first corner on 15 minutes and Skelly’s delivery was headed over the bar by Ben Priest.

However, it was mainly Saints on the attack and both Chris Kane and Liam Caddis had goalbound efforts blocked.

A minute from half time Greg Warwick came to Dundee’s rescue with a goalline clearance from a Kane header.

John Black came on for Ryan Shaw at half time but the pattern of the game remained the same, though Harkins did warm the hands of Hurst with a 25-yard shot.

However, Saints were soon back on the offensive and Connor McLaren latched on to a through ball to slip it past Calum Brodie to give Saints the lead on 53 minutes.

Max Avolio came on for Simon Ferry as the Dens men struggled to get a grip on the game but it was the home side who came closest to grabbing the next goal. A sweeping move down the right involving three players was only halted by an excellent tackle by Kostadin Gadzhalov.

Liam Gibb was then introduced in place of Warwick as Dundee almost produced an equaliser. Josh Skelly’s corner panicked the Saints defence and the ball had to be hacked off the line by Scott Wilson.

In the dying minutes the Perth men almost increased their lead with a Kane header but sub Gibb was on hand to clear off the line.

St Johnstone: Hurst, Comrie, Gilchrist (Buchanan 62), Brown, J Kerr, Rodger, McLaren, Wilson, Kane, Caddis, Thomson (Lander 73).

Dundee: Brodie, A Black, Warwick (Gibb 71), Priest, Gadzhalov, Ferry (Avolio 63), Gemmell, Shaw (J Black 46), Harkins, Skelly, Wighton.

Report: Jim Davie