Dundee took game by scruff of the neck

The omens were not exactly favourable from a Dundee perspective prior to kick-off on Saturday.

The Dark Blues probably still had manager Neil McCann’s verbal volley following the defeat against Hearts last Tuesday ringing in their ears as they lined up against a Partick side that had recorded a morale-boosting victory over Motherwell 24 hours later.

The Jags also knew that if they could extend their recent winning run against Dundee to five games, they would leapfrog the Dens outfit and lift themselves off the bottom of the Premiership.

However, Dundee took the game by the scruff of the neck from the first whistle and never released their stranglehold for the full 90 minutes.

Sofien Moussa grabbed the headlines with his two goals but his overall performance was deserving of high praise.

It has taken the big Tunisian time to adjust to the game in this country – something that was not helped by the need for a knee op in August – but he is finally starting to live up to the cult hero billing given to him by his boss.

That manager was understandably delighted by the response from his players after the Hearts defeat.

I actually thought Dundee did not do too badly in the second half against the Jambos but McCann is adamant he will only accept the highest standards from his side as he tries to change the ingrained mindset at the club.

The team were certainly right at it against Partick and the Dens gaffer will be demanding more of the same when they travel to face Motherwell on Saturday.