Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Dee facing uphill struggle now to qualify for Europe
SATURDAY’S result was bad for Dundee.
The performance, though, was a kick square in the stones.
That wasn’t what was supposed to happen.
St Mirren were in poor form and the Dee were in a better place.
But only one team turned up when it matters.
And if the Buddies get over the line it will be the matches against Dundee that made the difference.
Right now, five points separate the sides.
Across the season, St Mirren took nine points off Dundee while the Dark Blues earned three.
A six-point difference – bigger than the one between them in the table right now.
Dundee have had bad days this season but this one really stung.
Because it wasn’t against Celtic or Rangers or away to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup.
This was against a peer – one they had already beaten 4-0 at home this season.
On top of that, the showdown for Europe brought extra significance.
But the Dark Blues just didn’t rise to the challenge.
Across the board, it was a poor performance.
Luke Mccowan and Lyall Cameron – and to lesser extent Malachi Boateng – tried to spark life into their team but it wasn’t happening.
The message from Dens since the final whistle is that the race for Europe is not over.
That is factually correct but the situation is now that St Mirren are only really one result away from securing fifth place.
Even if Dundee come away from Tynecastle with three points on Saturday – which isn’t beyond the realms of possibility – a draw in Paisley probably puts the Buddies out of reach.
Their goal difference is now nine better than the Dee.
So a win for Dundee and a draw for St Mirren leaves the gap at three points with the Buddies boasting a far better goal difference.
The Dark Blues can’t expect anything from their trip to Ibrox next week.
So they’ll need to beat Hearts away and Kilmarnock at home to give themselves a chance.
As I say, one point for St Mirren is likely to be enough unless they get absolutely smashed at Celtic Park on the final day.
However.
It may be out of reach but the fact Dundee were even in the conversation for European football is massive.
I’ve been in the city 10 years now and they’ve never had a sniff, only once finishing in the top six in all that time.
This time last season they were playing Queen’s Park at Stenhousemuir.
That’s a huge step forward for the club.
I wrote last week that it is a good time to be a Dee.
One result and bad performance doesn’t change that.
It’s been a hugely successful first season back in the top flight.
And I fully expect the team to improve for next season.
It will be a big summer with big decisions but it remains an exciting time at a club on the up.