Ton loss tough to take for Dee

Grant’s goal gives Morton win to leapfrog Dark Blues

MUCH like life, sometimes football is cruel and, in tough times, often all you can do is take your medicine and move on.

It will be a bitter pill to swallow but that is what Dundee manager James McPake will be stressing to his players this week after Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Morton.

It was a hard one to take for the Dark Blues as the hosts leapfrogged them in the Championship table to leave the Dee languishing in sixth place.

After dominating for large parts of the match at Cappielow, Peter Grant’s header with the last action of the first-half to give the Ton the lead was a real blow for the Dark Blues.

Despite their best efforts in the second period to get back into the match, one shot on target with 13 attempts missing the mark tells its own story as David Hopkin’s side performed a smash and grab expertly well.

As much as Morton’s game plan worked for them, the Dark Blues were also architects of their own downfall.

Too often they passed up terrific opportunities to get on the scoresheet and, yet again, conceded from a set-play which was easily avoidable.

Hoping to build on the 2-1 win over Alloa at Dens Park the weekend previous with another victory, they were undone by Morton’s rigid defence, clever use of set-plays and counterattacking football.

The buzz in the air after that Wasps success quickly dissipated given the Dee’s hopes of stringing two league wins together for the first time since May 2018.

However, they cannot afford to get too downhearted with a trip to Queen of the South around the corner.

On Friday night at Palmerston, the Dark Blues have to make sure they capitalise on any early pressure they enjoy, something they failed to do in this one.

After dealing with early threats from the home side, Dundee had the first real chance of the clash.

On 18 minutes star man Declan McDaid flew past two Morton defenders down the right before squaring for Paul McGowan.

The captain’s shot on the turn was tipped over by Danny Rogers in the Ton goal as the Dee looked most likely to score.

Further opportunities passed by without troubling the scoreboard with McGowan returning the favour for winger McDaid on 24 minutes.

His chipped ball to the back post was perfectly weighted for McDaid but the former Ayr man saw his volley deflected behind for a corner.

It was McGowan and McDaid in the thick of the action again as the second half drew to a close.

McGowan miscontrolled a McDaid ball in on 38 minutes when it seemed certain he would give the Dee the lead. A minute later, from McDaid’s corner, centre-half Jordan McGhee nodded narrowly wide.

On 43 minutes McDaid, too, headed wide from Shaun Byrne’s ball in and cracked the bar soon after.

However, it was Morton who took the lead i n first-half stoppage time with their only shot on target of the match.

After Cammy Kerr gave away a free-kick on the left, Nicky Cadden’s wicked delivery was met by a powerful header from Grant after the Ton defender lost Kerr in the box.

Dee boss James rang the changes in the second half with Andrew Nelson, Graham Dorrans and Kane Hemmings entering the fray before the hour mark.

Nelson, in particular, came close on a few occasions but when Morton sub Brian McLean denied McDaid inside the box in the fourth minute of injury time with a robust challenge, it was clear it was never going to be Dundee’s day.

The search for the cure for Dundee’s inconsistency goes on and, now sitting sixth, it’s a remedy they must find soon.

The attacker had Dundee’s best chances to score but scuppered them all.