Steelmen dazzle Dee with three-goal salvo
dundee 1 motherwell 3
Motherwell are known as the Premiership’s biggest bruisers.
But they dazzled, rather than wrestled, their way to a convincing first win of the campaign.
Stephen Robinson’s side are finally moving up the table.
But Neil Mccann’s dismal Dundee remain rooted to the bottom after their fourth consecutive loss.
It was yet another frustrating afternoon for the Dark Blues, who simply never got going.
For ‘ Well gaffer Robinson, that was testament to his players’ combiwation of graft and craft.
“I’m very satisfied,” he beamed.
“I think the first half was the best performance since I came to the club 18 months ago.
“We played some brilliant football and created chances, not that we’ll get any credit for knocking the ball about, but that’s fine.
“We are big and physical but we have some super footballers as well. I’m proud of them. They stuck to their guns.”
Last week’s defeat at St Johnstone sparked four changes for Dundee.
Cammy Kerr, Genseric Kusunga, Lewis Spence and Kenny Miller came into the starting line-up, while new recruits Ryan Inniss, Calvin Miller and Andrew Boyle took seats on the bench.
Motherwell meanwhile were unchanged following their draw with Rangers – and they started with real intent.
Andy Rose threatened first, forcing a sharp save from Jack Hamilton with a towering header, before Danny Johnson poked the loose ball wide.
The Dark Blues enjoyed the lions’ share of possession last week at Mcdiarmid Park.
For large portions of the game against the Steelmen, they struggled to string two passes together.
The home side coughed up another chance when Josh Meekings got himself in the way of Kusunga’s attempted pass to full-back Cammy Kerr.
Main pounced, scooping up the ball before shooting a hair’s breadth wide of the upright.
That was all the encouragement the home fans needed to express their frustration.
But to their credit, when their side finally threatened to build momentum, they were ready to give their backing.
The Dee racked up three consecutive corners on the half-hour, then Miller, picked out by a superb Jesse Curran ball, was a whisker shy of prodding past Trevor Carson.
The home fans had finally been given some much-needed encouragement.
Just 10 minutes after the restart, it was snatched away from them.
From a Dundee point of view, ‘ Well’s opener was a shocker.
Under next to no pressure, Kusunga shaped to clear a halfhearted cross from the left.
Somehow, he completely mis-hit it, leaving the lurking Danny Johnson the simplest of tasks to place the ball past the helpless Jack Hamilton.
What life there had been amongst the home fans evaporated in the aftermath.
There was no real complaint, no real protest, no real fight – only resignation.
It only intensified after Gael Bigirimana’s free-kick went through Dundee’s defensive wall and into Hamilton’s net for ‘ Well’s second.
Benjamin Kallman headed his first goal for Dundee from Calvin Miller’s corner to offer a ray of hope.
But Allan Campbell sealed the home side’s fate with four minutes left, smashing in Motherwell’s third goal to send the home fans scampering for the exits.
dundee:
Hamilton 5; Curran 5; Kusunga 5; Meekings 4 (Inniss 45, 5); Kerr 6; Madianga 4 (Ngwatala 63, 4);Spence 6; Mcgowan 6; Nabi 4 (C. Miller 57, 5); Kallman 6; K. Miller 5. Subs (not usedparish; Moussa; Mendy; Boyle motherwell:
Carson 6; Aldred 6; Mchugh 7; Hartley 6; Cadden 5 (Frear 52, 5); Rose 7; Campbell 7; Bigirimana 8; Tait 7; Main 6 (Bowman 83, 2); Johnson 6 (Sammon 69, 3). Subs (not used) Gillespie (GK); Taylor-sinclair; Turnbull; Rodriguez Gorrin. `
match stats
star man
Gael Bigirimana was a livewire all afternoon for the Lanarkshire side. He helped them boss possession, threatened well, and he took his goal with aplomb.