LIVE LIFE TO MAX
Anderson is hero this time around as he stuns Saints
MAX ANDERSoN’S first Premiership goal could be considered a redemption story in two parts. Part one was personal. Sent off for hacking down St Mirren’s Eamonn Brophy on the opening day of the season, Anderson felt he had some making up to do.
‘I thought I’d try and keep my feet low to the ground and not volley anyone this time,’ he ruefully laughed.
More significant, however, was the collective sense of recovery granted to Dundee by the 20-year-old’s excellent finish.
Anderson missed last Wednesday’s 5-0 home hammering from Ross County through illness but knew there simply had to be a response. he stepped up. And so did every other member of James McPake’s side.
this was a team performance packed with work rate, resilience and streetwise savviness, qualities absent in that extraordinary collapse against the top flight’s bottom club.
there was enough grit alone to earn a point in Paisley, but Anderson’s composure ensured Dundee banked all three.
A caressed shot from the fringe of the area came with just 11 minutes on the clock. In truth, the scorer seemed every bit as stunned as the St Mirren defence.
‘Right from the start of the season, you want to try to get your first goal in the Premiership,’ said Anderson. ‘I didn’t know how to celebrate. I’m thinking: “Do a knee slide, do a knee slide!” But I turned round and think I just started clapping everyone.
‘the ball sat up perfectly and I went with the sidefoot. I’ve seen them go into the stand or out of the stadium, but thankfully it just stayed low and went in. I don’t think I could do it again!’
Anderson is too modest. there was real skill about the way he placed the ball beyond Jak Alnwick.
the midfielder may well go on to score many more in Premiership matches. Whether any will carry quite so much value as this one is, however, open to question.
McPake was clear about the backing he received from above in the wake of Ross County’s rampage. Even so, keeping the paying public onside required a swift revival. Come full-time, after seven long minutes of added time largely caused by what McPake fears is a ruptured Achilles for Cillian Sheridan, Dundee’s players and management were able to celebrate with a boisterous band of travelling fans.
‘We were poor in midweek but with the players we have got and the attitude, you knew we could bounce back,’ said Anderson.
‘You saw it here. the reaction was second to none.
‘It was important to get something out of the game today. I was sick on Wednesday but was able to watch the game. It was frustrating, obviously. But I think the reaction and result today shows that it was a one-off.’
Celtic are next up at Dens Park this Sunday. Anderson is confident Dundee can hold their own if they replicate the relentless graft witnessed in Paisley.
‘It will be a hard game again,’ added the youngster. ‘If we turn up like we did today, then it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but we’ll take it one game at a time.’
St Mirren had more than 60 per cent possession and twice as many shots as their visitors, but statistics can’t mask a largely huff-and-puff performance. Jim Goodwin’s men didn’t play well. But nor were they allowed to.
Sheridan was made the focal point of the attack, with Leigh Griffiths and Jason Cummings benched throughout, and did a fine job of getting his team up the pitch for the opening 53 minutes.
But then he went to control a quick throw-in and collapsed to the turf. At first, Sheridan thought he’d been kicked but there was no challenge. the Irishman was stretchered off and looks likely to be facing a lengthy absence.
It was a cruel blow for the player and also for McPake. Because the formula found here was a good one.
Danny Mullen took Sheridan’s place and helped Dundee over the line. Saints substitute Kristian Dennis saw a snapshot turned away by Adam Legzdins, who also thwarted Scott tanser later on.
Second-bottom Dundee are now four points clear of County and four points behind eighth-placed St Mirren.
‘that was very disappointing,’ said Saints captain Joe Shaughnessy. ‘For whatever reason, we just couldn’t create the chances.
‘I don’t know if we rushed things too much but we didn’t seem to get ourselves into the right positions — even our crosses were coming from the wrong areas and they dealt with them easily.’
ST MIRREN (3-4-1-2): Alnwick 6; Fraser 6, Shaughnessy 6, McCarthy 6; McAllister 6 (Tait 75), Power 6, Flynn 5 (Kiltie 56), Tanser 6; Ronan 6; Main 5 (Dennis 65), Brophy 6. Subs not used: Lyness, Tait, Dunne, Millar, Erwin. Booked: Dennis. DUNDEE (4-2-3-1): Legzdins 7; Kerr 7, Ashcroft 7, Sweeney 8, Marshall 7; Anderson 7 (McGhee 75), Adam 7; McMullan 6, McGowan 7 (Elliott 85), McCowan 6; Sheridan 7 (Mullen 56). Subs not used: Lawlor, Fontaine, Griffiths, Cummings. Booked: Sweeney, Legzdins. Man of the match: Ryan Sweeney. Referee: John Beaton. Attendance: 3,582.