Dundee put in a marvellous team performance to overcome their dreadful injury crisis and claim a 2-1 win at Falkirk. The Dee were the better team throughout but had to come from behind to win. The Bairns led at half time through Jacob Murrell’s penalty kick but Owen Bevan equalised early in the second half. The Dark Blues pushed hard for a win and Ash Hay celebrated his return from injury with a richly deserved winner in added time at the end.
There were two changes to the Dee’s starting eleven. Joe Bevan and Ash Hay came in for the injured Jack Moorhouse and Joe Westley.
Dundee kicked off and were immediately on the attack. Scott Bain, in the Falkirk goal, had to make his first save after 30 seconds, pushing Bradley Fink’s volley from a Joe Bevan cross out for a corner.
The Dark Blues created most of the goal threat in the first half, regularly playing their way into good positions in the Falkirk half.
After 12 minutes Drey Wright came close to a spectacular opening goal. Dundee took a short free kick just inside their own half and Wright went for goal. Bain had to move quickly to get back and tip the ball over the bar.
The Dee continued to attack and won a string of corners, none of which led to anything. Dundee were more dangerous in open play. A cross from Alan Forrest found Ash Hay at the far post but Bain saved the header.
Despite the Dark Blues’ promising opening it was Falkirk who took the lead after 31 minutes. Callum Jones was about to clear from the penalty area when Finley Barbrook nipped in front of him and was caught by the swinging boot. Jacob MURRELL converted the resulting penalty kick.
Dundee kept plugging away, playing the more incisive football and looking dangerous without quite finding the cutting edge in the penalty area to get the equaliser they deserved.
Falkirk had the final chance of the half when a long clearance from Scott Bain found Leon McCann in too much space but he screwed his shot wide from 20 yards.
Dundee were entitled to be disappointed and frustrated that they were trailing at half time, but they were back on level terms seven minutes after the restart.
A corner fell beyond the far post. Joe Bevan kept the ball in play and Ethan Hamilton set up Drey Wright to cross. The delivery was perfect for Owen BEVAN to power home a close range header.
It looked like the Dee had taken a deserved lead when Fink ran onto a pass from Joe Bevan and smashed a fine finish past Bain. However, the offside flag went up and VAR confirmed the decision. Fink’s feet were onside, but his shoulder was fractionally past the last defender. It was that close!
Falkirk put in plenty of attacking but they were let down by some woeful shooting. The Bairns were largely restricted to optimistic efforts from distance that were usually sclaffed well wide or high.
Joe Bevan sent in a fierce 25 yard shot that Bain did well to turn out for a corner. Fink miskicked his volley when Hay’s header set up the chance.
Falkirk finally got a serious effort on target when Ben Krauhaus managed an angled shot, but Owen Goodman saved well.
Neither team was prepared to settle for a point and the Dark Blues looked the more likely side to grab a winner. Joe Bevan made a strong run through the middle, but his shot was weak and gave Bain no trouble.
Finally, in the first minute of added time the Dee managed to win the game. The home defence was hesitant when Hamilton’s free kick came into the goalmouth. HAY jumped to chest the ball down and showed lightning reactions to shoot past Bain from close range before the ball had reached the ground.
In the final few minutes of added time a desperate home side created more danger than they had managed in the whole of normal time. The Dark Blues escaped a frantic goalmouth scramble which finished with Goodman turning Craig Sibbald’s shot onto the crossbar.
The final whistle was met with noisy delight by the exuberant travelling Dees. This was Dundee’s first league win at the Falkirk Stadium since it opened in 2005.
More significantly this was a fantastic team performance by a squad depleted by a horrendous run of injuries. So stretched was the squad that there were no strikers or midfielders on the bench who had ever featured in a league game. The players who started the game simply had to keep going until the final whistle.
It would have been reasonable to expect Dundee to do well for the first hour and then fade. That didn’t happen and the Dark Blues were the stronger team for the full match, even after Falkirk threw on fresh substitutes.
In the circumstances this was a huge win for the Dark Blues, and all eleven players deserve to share the Man of the Match award.
Falkirk FC 4-2-3-1
Bain
Strain (McMillan 90+1), Neilson, Henderson, McCann
Spencer, Barbrook (Sibbald 85)
Ross (McLeod 90+1), Krauhaus (Yeats 70), Eames
Murrell (Parkinson 70)
Unused subs: Hogarth (gk), Melniks, Fodrey, McIver.
Goal: Murrell(31 pen).
Booked: none.
Dundee FC 4-4-2
Owen Goodman
Drey Wright, Ryan Astley, Owen Bevan, Imari Samuels
Joe Bevan, Callum Jones, Ethan Hamilton (c), Alan Forrest
Bradley Fink, Ashley Hay
Unused substitutes: Kieran OโHara (gk), Matai Akinmboni, Idris Odutayo, Joe Wright, Ashton Leiper, Alfie Harrison, Brad Halliday, Ryan Bland, Rory Hughes.
Goals: Owen Bevan (52), Ashley Hay (90+1).
Booked: none.
Attendance: 7,101.
Referee: David Dickinson. Assistants: David McGeachie, Ross Macleod. VAR: Kevin Clancy. Assistant VAR: Peter Stuart. 4th Official: Iain Snedden.
Report: James Christie.
