McCann’s men rise to the occasion as Haber sinks Killie
DUNDEE have been searching for a cure to their ailing campaign for months. Now, at this crucial time, they appear to have found one.
Whatever interim manager Neil McCann has been feeding his players, it is working. Back-to-back wins now puts them four points above the relegation play-off spot.
At Rugby Park, the travelling fans saw it all. They witnessed the pain of their team missing several decent chances.
The sight of assistant referee Andrew McWilliam being physically sick midway through the first half was a lighter moment, but did not distract from the fact losing here would have been stomachchurning given the opportunities Dundee had missed.
In the end, one goal was enough — a Marcus Haber header ten minutes into the second half — and their first clean sheet of 2017 brought the Dens Park club some breathing space in ninth position with three games to go.
‘I’m so proud of the players,’ said McCann. ‘To win at Kilmarnock, who are a different animal under Lee McCulloch, is great.
‘I’m so happy for them after their losing run. They have to suck in this moment. We missed chances, but I trusted them. I knew we would come good.’
Dundee missed a glorious chance to take the lead midway through the first half.
Faissal El Bakhtaoui fired the ball wide to Mark O’Hara on the right. The midfielder was unmarked by the Killie defence and he slipped the ball across the box to Haber.
However, the striker’s tame shot from ten yards was pushed wide by goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
Killie soon pressed forward but their momentum was halted by the assistant referee’s unfortunate bout of sickness — being shown a cheeky red card by referee Craig Thomson compounded his misery.
Happily, after a couple of minutes, McWilliam composed himself. On first-half evidence, the same could not be said of Haber.
The Canadian soon had his head in his hands again when he somehow headed wide from close in after he met El Bakhtaoui’s teasing cross.
McCann’s men had created the better chances and ended the half with Tom Hateley’s free-kick from 20 yards well saved by Woodman.
It was turning into an afternoon of sore points — literally. Five minutes after the restart, Dundee keeper Scott Bain’s clearance smacked off the face of substitute Greg Kiltie and the ball flew just past the post.
Haber finally made up for his earlier misses when he met Paul McGowan’s cross to head home from close range ten minutes after the break.
‘Marcus has been brilliant and I told him at half-time: that he was 100 per cent going to score,’ said McCann. ‘I knew it.’
Dundee’s hard work was almost undone when Jordan Jones’ cross from the left was glanced narrowly wide by Killie defender Gary Dicker.
Only the heroics of Bain ten minutes from time denied Killie an equaliser after he pushed Kiltie’s header over the crossbar from point-black range.
The keeper then denied the hosts again when he brilliantly saved Kris Boyd’s shot low to his right.
‘It’s our first clean sheet of the year and you wouldn’t believe my dressing room,’ said McCann. ‘They’re buzzing.’
With the final touch of the ball, Dicker headed wide and the points were sealed for Dundee.
‘I thought we were miles off it after only two or three minutes — and we were for the whole game,’ said McCulloch. ‘We deserved nothing. We could still be playing now and we wouldn’t score.’
Graham Swann