Dundee fail to capitalise on dominance yet again

Dundee’s rollercoaster season continued with defeat at Morton.

The Dark Blues showed both sides of their make-up at Cappielow, dominating long periods of the game but conceding from a set-piece once more and lacking a creative spark in the final third.

They lost to an injury-time firsthalf goal and didn’t create a clear-cut opening to get back on terms in the whole of the second 45.

The first 15 minutes passed without either team asserting any control but after Declan McDaid teed up Paul McGowan for an 18th minute shot that was tipped over the bar, Dundee became the dominant side.

The two men combined again shortly after when the skipper picked out McDaid at the back post and the winger’s volley flashed across the face of goal.

When a long diagonal ball was misjudged by Morton defender Stephen Welsh, it landed with McGowan but, clearly not expecting it to reach him, the Dark Blues playmaker couldn’t convert inside the six-yard box.

It was all Dundee at this point and Jordan McGhee was inches off target with a header from a McDaid corner.

In a classic case of getting punished for not taking their chances, James McPake’s men went into the break one down when in stoppage time Peter Grant headed home a Nicky Cadden free-kick from close range.

New signing Graham Dorrans replaced Shaun Byrne before the hour and, with Kane Hemmings and Andrew Nelson also brought on, Dundee had plenty of attacking threats on the pitch as they chased an equaliser.

For all their possession, though, the nearest they came was a McDaid back post shot that went into the side-netting.