Poor Dee bow out

PLAYERRATINGS Dundee laboured at both ends in ’Well cup defeat

WITHOUT so much as a whimper the Dark Blues exited the Scottish Cup fifth round and continued their long wait for success in the competition.

The Dee haven’t lifted the trophy since 1910 and don’t look like a group with enough about them to end that 108-year drought anytime soon.

In fact, they don’t look like winning anything playing like they did in a 2-0 loss to Motherwell on Saturday.

Simply put, there are not enough winners in Neil McCann’s squad.

Paul McGowan aside, not one man in dark blue at Dens on Saturday looked prepared to fight for progress to the quarter-finals.

Even before Craig Tanner lashed in a left-footed opener on the half-hour mark, Dee heads were down.

Actually, when Motherwell thought they’d opened the scoring with an offside Tom Aldred bicycle kick in the opening minutes, the home side looked beaten already.

In attack and defence Dundee were lacklustre, particularly at the back.

Keeper Elliott Parish was largely at fault for both goals, allowing Tanner’s half-volley to squirm through his grasp for the first and contriving to gift the visitors their second on 55 minutes.

Rushing out to meet a long ball being pursued by Kevin Holt and ’Well front man Curtis Main, the Englishman was left in no man’s land as Holt nodded unbeknowingly into a gaping net.

Main, initally, laid claim to the victory-sealing strike but there is no doubt this was a Dee disaster.

Any hope of a route back into the match was just that, a hope.

Despite having a few decent openings, Dundee’s forward line never filled you with confidence that they would get on the scoresheet.

And so it proved, with frustrating Tunisian striker Sofien Moussa passing up chance after chance.

Between Motherwell’s goals, Moussa had a glorious opportunity to level but, despite doing well to cut in onto his right foot past Cedric Kipre, his shot never looked like beating Trevor Carson in the away net.

His partner in profligacy A-Jay Leitch-Smith did little to inspire a comeback and, with new man Simon Murray cup-tied, the option to change things from the bench just didn’t exist for boss Neil.

What will please the Dark Blues gaffer, however, was the performance of debutant defender Genseric Kusunga.

The big Angolan looked comfortable with the rough and tumble of Scottish football and, when partnered with marquee signing Steven Caulker, could give Dundee a decent base to build on.

What they don’t have, however, is time.

The games, crucial ones at that, are coming up thick and fast.

A run of matches against bottom-six rivals starts at Kilmarnock tomorrow night and sees the Dee take on Partick Thistle and Motherwell before the month is out.

Steve Clarke’s Killie are flying at the moment and have serious aspirations of finishing in the top-half.

A defeat would see Dundee’s hopes of such a finish all but dead in the water.

What looks more likely now is a relegation battle and, given current form, some nail-biting watches ahead.