Magic start for McCann

PLAYERRATINGS ’Well win gives the Dark Blues a massive boost

THE McCann miracle is on. OK, if Neil McCann can save Dundee’s Premiership place, calling it a miracle would be a bit over the top.

After all, however disastrous recent performances have been, going into his first game as interim boss at Motherwell on Saturday, they were only one win away from moving out of the relegation play-off place.

With five games to go the Dark Blues’ fate was still very much in their own hands.

But after seven consecutive defeats and confidence in the squad clearly lower than a snake’s belly, giving the task of turning things round to a man with no managerial experience could at least be described as a big ask.

On the evidence of Saturday’s eventpacked 3-2 success over the Steelmen, it’s one he can successfully answer.

To be completely honest about it, this win was not without a big slice of good fortune.

Right at the end of a first half almost completely dominated, in terms of possession if not chances, by ’Well, Dundee took the lead when home goalie Craig Samson spilled a Kevin Holt cross. That allowed Mark O’Hara to pounce.

Their third goal also saw an O’Hara header that Samson looked set to save take a wicked deflection off Marcus Haber’s thigh and fly into the net.

And had referee Steven McLean and his far side linesman Anthony Cooper been paying attention, they would have awarded the home team a second goal earlier than they did because a Ben Heneghan header looked well over the line before Tom Hateley cleared.

Maybe, though, this was a day when Dundee deserved their luck.

Yes, they hardly had a touch for much of that first half, but defensively during that period they were sound. Louis Moult had their only decent chance before the break and, when he let fly from 12 yards, Scott Bain was in the right place to make a comfortable save.

Credit for that must go to McCann, his coaching staff and a previously beleaguered defence that had been leaking goals left, right and centre in the preceding seven games. On Saturday they were a much tighter unit.

And if Dundee didn’t do enough with the ball in the opening 45 minutes, they roared right into the game in the second period.

They attacked dangerously and as well as Haber’s double — he got the second after more good work on the left by Holt — created a few more decent chances.

After Chris Cadden set up a nervous closing spell with the home team’s second, for all the pressure on Bain’s goal, Haber, Tom Hateley and sub Faissal El Bakhtaoui all went close, so the victory could have been more comfortable.

Overall, there was also a much more solid look about the team. Players appeared to have a much clearer idea of what their duties were and executed them well.

McCann can also take credit for a couple of brave selection decisions. Kevin Gomis and Nick Ross have both had a wretched time since the turn of the year.

They were restored to the starting line-up and repaid the new boss’s faith in them with decent displays.

It should also be remembered after a such a long losing streak, to ask for perfection straight away would be a bit much.

All Dundee fans could hope for was a win. They got one and were rightly happy.