MOUSSA TREBLE IS PERFECT TONIC FOR DUNDEE
NEIL McCANN will be tempted to wrap Sofien Moussa in cotton wool between now and Sunday after the striker’s stunning hat-trick in Dundee’s victory at Cowdenbeath in the Betfred Cup. The Tunisian put on a masterclass in clinical finishing as the Dark Blues warmed up for the arrival of city rivals and Group C opponents Dundee United with an impressive performance. McCann’s angry response to his men’s 2-0 win over Buckie Thistle on Saturday — he cancelled their day off — was an indication of the high standards he expects and Moussa, in particular, responded in perfect fashion. ‘Tonight was much better and it sets us up nicely for the derby,’ said McCann. ‘Going into the Dundee United game on the back of three wins is vital — but United are as well. So it sets the group up really nicely to see who is going to come out on top. ‘There were loads of good performances, but you’ve got to pick out Moussa. He could probably have had five.’ Dundee began brightly in the Fife sunshine as Scott Allan almost caught out Cowdenbeath keeper Joe McGovern with a cheeky fourth-minute free-kick. Dens full-back Cammy Kerr fired in a stinging drive moments later that McGovern had to beat away. Moussa’s opener arrived in the 17th minute and was a first glimpse of the predatory instinct that was in evidence throughout. Allan sought out space on the left edge of the box and his cross was weighted perfectly for Moussa’s arrival at the back post. It took the former Tromso forward only six more minutes to add a sensational second. Roarie Deacon stretched to keep the ball in on the bye-line and Moussa applied the coup de grace with an acrobatic overhead kick. Dundee were clearly in the mood and skipper Darren O’Dea had a close-range header parried away, whilst Moussa was denied by both McGovern and defender David Syme as he bore down on goal. After screwing a free header wide from an Allan corner, the man of the moment would not be denied his hat-trick and capped a superb first-half display with his third, seven minutes from the interval. Deacon’s trickery took him deep into the Blue Brazil box and, when Paul McGowan helped his pass on, Moussa knocked it in clinically from six yards out to complete a stunning performance. Cowdenbeath boss Billy Brown said: ‘In the first half, we were completely overwhelmed. Dundee were far too good for us.’