This game was played in atrocious weather at Forfar’s Station Park and both sides deserve credit for producing decent football in terrible conditions.
Craig Wighton was back in the Dundee line-up on his return from Raith Rovers and the young striker looked sharp early on as the young Dark Blues pressed for the opener.
It came as early as the seventh minute when Ryan Gemmell controlled a cross from the right before laying the ball back to Jesse CURRAN who drove the ball home from 18 yards.
Saints replied with a Simon Lappin free kick that just cleared Kyle Gourlay’s bar but Dundee were soon at the other end with goalkeeper Jordan Millar turning Wighton’s shot round the post for a corner.
Then it was Gourlay’s turn to save Dundee with a great stop from Greg Hurst.
It was end to end stuff with the Dark Blues having slightly the better of the game and Wighton was presented with another chance after being put through by Curran but Millar was out quickly to block.
An entertaining first half ended with Gourlay pulling off another good save, this time from Saints’ Eoghan McCawl.
After a quick change into fresh strips both sides came out in worsening weather and Wighton made the first foray upfield, beating a couple of defenders before passing to Kyle Clark who in turn found Calvin Colquhoun whose shot was turned behind for a corner.
From a Josh Skelly free kick Kerr Waddell headed just wide but Dundee were beginning to lose their command of the midfield and Saints looked the more threatening.
The Dens men’s case wasn’t helped with an injury to Ben Priest and he was replaced by John Black, necessitating Colquhoun having to drop back into central defence.
On 77 minutes Saints equalised. Waddell tripped Brad McKay in the box and Liam Caddis gave Gourlay no chance with a perfectly placed penalty kick.
Caddis almost scored again minutes later with a shot that came back off the post with Gourlay beaten.
There was a bizarre moment when Sean Gallacher’s clearance felled his own player Waddell, leaving Hurst with a great chance to score, but Gourlay pulled off a fine save.
However, the goal was only delayed a few minutes when George Hunter ran on to a through ball to net the winner.
In a last throw of the dice Wighton fired over the Saints bar in the dying minutes.
FT: St Johnstone 2 Dundee 1
Dundee: Gourlay, Dryden, Gallacher, Priest (Black 74), Waddell, Colquhoun, Clark, Curran, Skelly, Wighton, Gemmell. Subs not used: Beattie, Warwick, Gibb, Berry.
