The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
O’Dea at the double as Dundee win in Paisley Captain hits brace in straightforward friendly success
A first-half double from captain Darren O’Dea helped Dundee to a straightforward success in their first friendly of the summer.
The Dens men took the lead against St Mirren in Paisley on 11 minutes thanks to an unorthodox finish from O’Dea from a few inches out, then the Irishman repeated the feat on 39 minutes with a header to make it 2-0.
Both goals came from crosses delivered by the impressive Scott Allan.
Half-time sub Marcus Haber made it 3-0 to Dundee three minutes into the second half before Gavin Reilly got one back for the home side.
The Dark Blues included three trialists in their travelling squad. In the starting line-up were Dutch central defender Crescendo van Berkel and a midfielder understood to be Arsenal’s Finnish under-21 international Glen Kamara. On the bench was German midfielder Nils Rutten.
The Dens men, who earlier in the day had parted company with frontman Rory Loy, handed starts to new boys Allan and Randy Wolters.
The Buddies were first on the attack after two minutes when Reilly shot from the edge of the box but keeper Scott Bain had it covered.
The hosts had opened brightly and Stelios Demetriou sent a free-kick wide then a Cammy Smith snap shot was tipped over the bar by Bain. On 11 minutes, though, it was 1-0 to Dundee and it was a gift from home goalie Craig Samson.
Allan trotted over to the left to take a corner and when the kick reached the goalmouth Samson pushed it back over his own head and O’Dea bundled the ball over the line.
Saints almost pulled level when Reilly shot from a tight angle but Bain saved. The goalie came to the rescue again on 21 minutes to stop a drive from Lewis Morgan.
There were heated words between the two dugouts just before the half-hour mark, with Dundee assistant boss Graham Gartland exchanging verbals with home boss Jack Ross and his number two James Fowler.
On 39 minutes, the Dark Blues were two ahead and it was O’Dea on target again. The skipper was up for another Allan corner and the midfielder played the set-piece short to Kamara before receiving the return pass. Allan firsttimed the cross on to the head of O’Dea and it was 2-0 to the visitors.
As expected, Dundee made nine changes at the break – everybody coming off bar Bain and Van Berkel.
Three minutes after the restart, it was 3-0 to the Dark Blues as trialist Rutten crossed from the left to give striker Haber a tap-in. On 55 minutes, though, the Buddies got one back when Reilly twisted and turned on the edge of the box before driving a low shot past Bain.
Dundee went looking for more goals, though, and Danny Williams sent a shot flying over then Haber had an angled strike saved by Samson.
At the other end, Bain still had to stay alert and he produced a great save from sub Connor McManus on 79 minutes.
The Dark Blues had a late claim for a penalty when Williams went down in the box but it was a no from referee Barry Cook.
Starting line-ups: St Mirren: Samson, Demetriou, McGinn, MacKenzie, Magennis, Morgan, Smith, Baird, Hilson, Reilly, Whyte. Subs: Stewart, Buchanan, Sutton, Todd, Kirkpatrick, Stewart, Flanagan, McDonald, McManus, MacPherson.
Dundee: Bain, Holt, O’Dea, Allan, O’Hara, Trialist, Trialist, El Bakhtaoui, Wolters, Curran, Wighton. Subs: Ferrie, Kerr, Williams, McGowan, Deacon, Trialist, Dryden, Spence, Haber, Waddell, Smith, Quigley.
Referee: Barry Cook.