Kilmarnock 3 Dundee 2 /Wil to win
● Clarke’s men fight back after Dicker’s red card to make it seven home wins in a row
Kilmarnock’s teenage substitute Iain Wilson , left, is congratulated by Stephen O’donnell after scoring the winning goal for the ten-man Ayrshire side against Dundee.
Kilmarnock created some history in the sweetest way possible to come back from 2-1 down with ten men to win their seventh game in a row at Rugby Park.
Teenage substitute Iain Wilson struck the winner three minutes from time for Steve Clarke’s impressive side, who had Gary Dicker sent off with more than half an hour to go. It is the first time Kilmarnock have won seven successive games at home since the late 1970s.
Steven Caulker scored for England on his debut and he did so again for Dundee in slightly lower-key circumstances.
Only 3,768 fans were there to see him leap to meet Roarie Deacon’s corner 11 minutes into the second half as Dundee threatened to bring to an end Kilmarnock’s remarkable run of home form.
But you cannot keep a good striker down. Kris Boyd may not have been transferred for the fortunes Caulker has moved for. However, the veteran striker proved his worth yet again with an excellent finish to make it 2-2.
The hosts were preparing to treat a share of the spoils as a mini-victory. But incredibly the ten men secured all three points as 19-year-old Wilson produced a solo goal that deserved to win any game, never mind one as crazy as this. It was the youngster’s first appearance since September.
Kilmarnock achieved all this despite being reduced to ten men after 58 minutes when Dicker was red-carded for a lunge on Deacon and having just seen Caulker put Dundee into the lead.
It was a remarkable turnaround. The win deserves to stand alongside those against Celtic and Rangers, which also feature in this run.
Indeed, the impression that Kilmarnock just need to turn up at Rugby Park for good things to happen was reinforced when the hosts took the lead after five minutes. The home team were without key men Youssouf Mulumbu and Jordan Jones because of, respectively, injury and suspension. But no matter.
They threatened from the start. Rory Mckenzie’s corner was only partially cleared by a dithering Dundee defence, which then failed to shut down Eamonn Brophy. His left-foot drive flew into the corner past a ruck of players after just five minutes.
Caulker took his place on the left of a back three alongside captain Darren O’dea and Genseric Kusunga. Dundee managed to recover from the uncertain start and were already placing Kilmarnock under considerable pressure before getting their equaliser in the 31st minute from the penalty spot. Sofien Moussa, whose profligacy during Saturday’s 2-0 Scottish Cup defeat by mother well drew unfavourable comment from the Dens Park stands, is proving deadly when the ball is placed on a whitewashed spot 12 yards out.
Kilmarnock were aggrieved about the award. Caulker rose to meet Deacon’s corner but Jamie Macdonald pulled off an excellent stop. The ball rebounded and hit Dicker on the arm with referee Nick Walsh quick to point to the spot.
Moussa waited for the goalkeeper to dive before rolling the ball expertly into the other corner. He has yet to score a league goal from open play but has now converted four penalties with much the same nonchalance.
But the equaliser was merited. Dundee withstood some shaky moments in the opening stages before growing into the game. A Jon Aurtenetxe drive brought out a terrific flying block from Macdonald. But in Brophy Kilmarnock had the game’s livewire before he was forced off with injury near the start of the second half.
These same fans had delivered a scathing judgment on the referee when the teams left at the interval following what they felt were a string of contentious decisions in Dundee’s favour.
These home fans then had to endure Dundee taking the lead as Kilmarnock failed to match Caulker’s run. The tall defender met Deacon’s corner with a towering header that was planted firmly into the middle of Macdonald’s goal.
Dundee’s evening then took a further upswing when Dicker, penalised for the penalty that got the visitors back into the game, was red-carded after a heavy challenge on Deacon on the far touchline.
But it was Kilmarnock who seemed energised while Dundee lost their shape. Boyd swept a magnificent finish into the net from 16 yards after substitute Lee Erwin’s through ball with 15 minutes left.
Dundee would have been unhappy to drop two points but they left without none at all after Wilson rode several challenges before prodding a shot in off the post with three minutes left.
Old Rugby Park has rarely known days like these.
KILMARNOCK: Macdonald, O’donnell, Broadfoot, Scott Boyd (Wilson 62), Findlay, Mckenzie, Tshibola, Dicker, Taylor, Brophy (Erwin 50), Kris Boyd (Simpson 90). Subs not used: Fasan, Burke, Waters, Frizzell.. DUNDEE: Parish, Caulker, Kusunga (El Bakhtaoui 79), O’dea, Deacon (Kerr 73), O’hara (Spence 90), Kamara, Mcgowan, Aurtenetxe, Moussa, Murray. Subs Not Used: Malherbe, Leitch-smith, Lambert, Waddell.