Dundee fought to the end to beat Raith Rovers at Starks Park, with a Jim McAlister double sending around 2000 magnificent travelling supporters home happy.
For much of the match this was a hard fought contest with neither side on top for an extended period but Dundee were dealt a blow when keeper Kyle Letheren had to leave the action after a bad fall from height as he cleared in 58 minutes.
The Dark Blues were given a boost though in 66 minutes when Jason Thomson was red carded for a foul on Martin Boyle.
For a period the sending off seemed to affect Dundee more than the home side as Raith pushed forward, but the visiting fans stayed patient and when Dundee got on top they roared them on.
It looked as if the reward for lots of pressure wasn’t going to come but in 89 minutes and up and under by Gallagher was dropped by keeper Laidlaw and McAlister stayed cool to net.
Raith hit back and came close but two minutes into stoppage time sub Craig Wighton sent McAlister free with a delightful flick and the midfielder raced around the keeper to spark wild scenes of celebration behind the goal
It was the ideal result to start the New Year
