Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Resolute Dark Blues make a point
Impressive show boosts fifth-place ambitions
DUNDEE earned what could be a valuable point in their bid for fifth place after a 0-0 draw with Rangers at Dens Park.
The hard work was done to confirm top-six football ahead of this match but the result last night closed the gap on St Mirren to two points.
Nightswimming, Yellow Submarine and Spaceman were among the carefully-curated pre-match tracklist – in reference to the off-field noise ahead of getting this fixture being played at the third time of asking.
It is now one defeat in six for Dundee as they dealt a huge blow to Rangers’ title aspirations.
Tony Docherty made three changes to his side from the draw with Aberdeen, bringing in Ricki Lamie, Owen Dodgson and Malachi Boateng in a switch to a back four.
It was a positive start from the home side and it took them just 36 seconds to threaten the Rangers goal when Boateng collected Dujon Sterling’s headed clearance and shot inches wide of the far post.
Momentum was temporarily disrupted when captain Joe Shaughnessy left the field injured to be replaced by Antonio Portales.
Whether influenced by the recent furore over the playing surface or not, Philippe Clement’s men deployed a direct approach.
They inevitably had their chances, the best of which fell to Abdallah Sima, who raced on to Todd Cantwell’s through ball and moved past Ricki Lamie before forcing a save from the foot of Jon McCracken.
The forward then had another effort from a similar area but this time he was under more pressure and the save more comfortable.
Jordan McGhee then came close at the other end before
Dundee had the ball in the net in the 21st minute.
The celebrations were cut short when the assistant raised his flag and deemed that Amadou Bakayoko was in an offside position following Luke McCowan’s free-kick and Scott Tiffoney’s follow-up – both saved by Jack Butland.
The teams were going blowfor-blow and James Tavernier’s free-kick was palmed around the post by McCracken before the keeper kept out a Connor Goldson header from the subsequent corner.
Rangers piled on the pressure towards the end of the half and, in the five minutes of injurytime added, Tom Lawrence broke into a promising position before firing well wide.
Part of Dundee’s success in the first half was how they barely gave their opponents a moment’s peace on the ball and it continued after the break as Rangers searched for a breakthrough.
After another 10 minutes of frustration, Clement made a triple change in the attacking areas.
Rangers threatened from another Tavernier corner when Lawrence fired at McCracken on the angle before Docherty turned to his bench, sending on Dara Costelloe and Curtis Main.
The visitors were now having some joy down the left through substitute Rabbi Matondo but without creating much.
Dundee looked to threaten on the break but were missing the final pass.
McCracken was called into action again in the 72nd minute when Cyriel Dessers cut inside and aimed for the top corner but the keeper pushed it away.
In the final 10 minutes, Matondo’s long-range effort bounced beyond the far post and Tavernier had a tame effort that ended up safely in the hands of McCracken. Dundee were far less of an attacking threat after half-time but were well worth their point after a resolute display.
STAR MAN: Jon McCracken Trevor Carson was back in the squad but he’s got his work cut out to dislodge McCracken on this form.
The on-loan keeper has been putting in some strong performances of late but this was his best to date.
A fine save early on to deny Sima set things off on the right tone and a second-half stop to push a Dessers effort wide at full stretch kept it all square.
DUNDEE: McCracken 8, McGhee 7, Shaughnessy 6 (Portales 10, 7), Lamie 7, Dodgson 7, Sylla 6, Boateng 7, McCowan 7, Cameron 7, Tiffoney 6 (Costelloe 63, 4), Bakayoko 7 (Main 63, 5).
Subs not used: Carson, Astley, Mulligan, Robertson, Donnelly, Mellon.
RANGERS: Butland, Tavernier, Lundstrum, Souttar, Goldson, Silva (Matondo 56), Lawrence, Cantwell (Dowell 56), Sima (McCausland 79), Sterling, Roofe (Dessers 56).
Subs not used: McCrorie, Davies, Barisic, King, Raskin.