The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dundee continue build-up to new season with win at Cowdenbeath
FRIENDLY: Dens men dominate but Cowden cause problems for Dark Blues
Dundee got their first win of pre-season thanks to a fine finish from young front man Matty Henvey.
He lobbed the ball into the Cowdenbeath net on 73 minutes and it was that solitary strike from the talented 18-year-old that separated the sides in this friendly at Central Park.
Now the Dark Blues will jet off to the Algarve for their training camp, which will include a training match against Mansfield Town this Saturday and a friendly against Portuguese team SC Farense the following Tuesday.
There was an interesting development before the game against Cowden when the team sheet listed the names of the three Dundee trialists. American Brian Nana-Sinkam, young Blackburn player Frank Jones and 24-year-old Adil Nabi from Peterborough all started on the bench.
The Dark Blues got the game under way in the bright Fife sunshine.
Dundee made a decent start and had plenty of the ball early on.
Their lively frontman Jean Mendy had a shot blocked then Cowden’s Blair Malcolm stung keeper Jack Hamilton’s hands with a shot from outside the box on 10 minutes.
With 17 minutes on the clock, visiting midfielder Elton Ngwatala let fly with a shot from 30 yards that was not too far over the bar.
Up at the other end, home forward Kris Renton tried to stab the ball goalwards from close range but his effort was blocked by defender Steven Caulker.
The best move of the match thus far came on 24 minutes from Dundee but Ngwatala’s strike was well held low down by goalie Ryan Goodfellow after he was picked out by a nice pass from Jean Mendy.
Just minutes later, a Randy Wolters corner was headed wide by Nathan Ralph as the Dens men continued to dominate.
A Wolters drive was deflected on its way to Goodfellow’s arms on 35 minutes before the Dutchman had another strike blocked seconds later.
Jamie Pyper headed a corner wide for Cowden to bring a decent but goalless first half to an end.
The Dark Blues switched their goalies at the interval, with Elliott Parish taking the gloves off Hamilton.
With 53 minutes gone, Wolters managed to squeeze a driven free-kick through the Cowden wall but it sailed wide of the post.
The big Dundee subbie switch came on 57 minutes.
Off went Mendy, Ngwatala, Wolters, Craig Wighton, Kharl Madianga and Glen Kamara.
Two minutes later it was all change again as Caulker, Nathan Ralph, Jesse Curran and Dan Jefferies all made way.
The Blue Brazil didn’t let that disrupt them, though and with 63 minutes on the clock Renton came close to putting them ahead, with only a fine Parish save denying him.
Dundee finally made the breakthrough on 73 minutes and it was a fine finish from Henvey, who lifted the ball over the advancing Goodfellow after being played in by Callum Moore’s long ball.
Henvey came within a whisker of making it 2-0 four minutes later when he clipped a low shot just inches past the far post.
In the dying seconds, there would have been a second for the Dark Blues but for a superb save from Goodfellow that kept out Kerr Waddell’s header. Attendance: 478. Cowdenbeath: Starting side: Goodfellow, Mullen, Trialist, Pyper, Gilfillan, Miller, Cox, Malcolm, Renton, Scott (Sheerin 29), Buchanan. Subs used: Trialist 17 (gk), Swann, Sheerin, Trialist, McMurchie, Muirhead.
Dundee: Starting side: Hamilton, Curran, Caulker, Jefferies, Ralph, Madianga, Kamara, Ngwatala, Wolters, Mendy, Wighton. Subs used: Parish, Nana-Sinkham, Jones, Kerr, Waddell, Spence, Moore, McGowan, Lambert, Henvey, Nabi. Not used: Anderson.
Referee: Barry Cook.