The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Dark Blues sign French defender
DUNDEE 1 HAMILTON 1: Gomis completes one-year deal during Dens draw
Dundee have signed French defender Kevin Gomis from Nice on a one-year deal.
The business was done as a 1-1 draw against Hamilton Accies took them back to the top of the Premiership last night at a rain-swept Dens Park.
Manager Paul Hartley confirmed: “Yes, we have signed Kevin Gomis.
“We have needed that area filled but we also need one or two other areas filled so we are still working away to strengthen the team.
“He will bring quality having been at Nice for the last five years so that’s a good level.
“We needed cover for that area and he has looked good.
“I have had a look at him over the last couple of days and he is terrific in terms of aggression and quality on the ball. He has pace and is really powerful and strong.”
Man-of-the-match Mark O’Hara grabbed the leveller on 17 minutes for the Dark Blues just four minutes after a fabulous strike from Darren Lyon put the visitors ahead.
The display and result put the Dark Blues back to the top of the table – at least for a few hours – but that wasn’t much of a consolation for Hartley.
He said: “It wasn’t good enough, just not a good performance.
“I am not happy with it.”
DUNDEE 1 HAMILTON ACCIES 1
Dundee moved to the top of the Premiership despite only drawing 1-1 with Hamilton Accies on a rainy Friday night at Dens Park.
Of course, they would obviously have preferred three points rather than one and are set to be knocked off the summit in just a few hours’ time when the other sides play their games.
If this result could be classed as disappointing, there was some good news for the Dark Blues and their supporters when French defender Kevin Gomis signed a one-year deal.
The player arrived in Scotland and completed the switch from Nice as the action unfolded last night.
Dundee fell behind to Accies on 13 minutes thanks to a fantastic strike from Darren Lyon but Mark O’Hara swept home the equaliser just four minutes later.
The Dark Blues had made a couple of changes to the line-up that faced Rangers last Saturday.
In for his starting debut came striker Faissal El Bakhtaoui, while Nick Ross was also given the nod.
Paul McGowan and Michael Duffy missed out through injury, while youngsters Conor Quigley and Matty Smyth were listed in the first-team squad for the first time as they took their seats on the bench.
Accies made only one change to the side that lost at home to Kilmarnock, with midfielder Darian MacKinnon back at the expense of Greg Docherty.
Dundee’s Rory Loy got the game going and he almost got on the end of an El Bakhtaoui ball into the box on five minutes.
Just seconds later he did connect after James Vincent’s pass picked him out but his close-range shot hit keeper Remi Matthews’ legs.
After a lull in the action, Dens captain Darren O’Dea wanted to shake things up so raced into the left-hand side of the box before firing in a cross-cum-shot that was held by Matthews.
On 13 minutes, though, the Dark Blues fell behind to a quite brilliant strike from Lyon.
There seemed little threat to Scott Bain’s goal when the ball reached the Accies man 25 yards out, but he absolutely smashed his right-foot shot into the keeper’s top left-hand corner.
It was Lyon’s first goal for the club and it gave the Lanarkshire men an unexpected lead.
Dundee were level on 17 minutes, however, with a well-worked goal that also had a lot to do with poor defending from the visitors.
A corner from the right was delivered close to the penalty spot by Danny Williams and the unmarked O’Hara was there to side-foot the ball into the Hamilton net to make it 1-1.
On 34 minutes, El Bakhtaoui fired in a shot from 30 yards that didn’t give Matthews too much trouble.
With the first half nearing its end, a free-kick from the left by Williams was met by the head of O’Dea but the attempt flew wide of the target.
There was a scare for Dundee when Julen Etxabeguren fouled Louis Longridge right on the edge of the home box and was booked. It was a great chance for the visitors but Dougie Imrie’s free-kick soared over the bar.
Only an excellent tackle from O’Dea stopped Imrie from breaking clear for Hamilton just before the half-time whistle was blown.
There was a huge let-off for Dundee four minutes into the second half when Alex D’Acol split their defence with a pass that left MacKinnon with only Bain to beat. However, he somehow managed to stab the ball by the post.
Matthews then did well to keep the ball out at the other end when he dived to block a snap-shot from Loy on 55 minutes.
On 63 minutes, the home team brought on Yordi Teijsse for James Vincent as they tried to win the match.
The big Dutchman sent a header to the back post on 70 minutes and, in the stramash that followed, Williams sent a shot past.
Longridge broke forward for Hamilton on 76 minutes and had time to shoot but Bain did well to hold on to the ball in the wet conditions.
Both teams tried all they could to find a winner in the closing stages and the play ebbed and flowed.
The ball was cleared off the Dundee line by Nick Ross with just two minutes to go after Michael Devlin tried to bundle the ball home for Hamilton.
However, a draw was probably a fair result. Attendance: 5,287.
Dundee: Bain, Holt, Vincent (Teijsse 63), O’Dea, Loy, Williams, O’Hara, Etxabeguren, Ross, El Bakhtaoui, Kerr. Subs not used: Mitchell, Gadzhalov, Curran, Quigley, Smyth.
Hamilton Accies: Matthews, Devlin, Gillespie, Imrie, D’Acol (Brophy 75), Crawford, Longridge (Kurtaj 78), MacKinnon, Donati (Docherty 88), Lyon, Sarris. Subs not used: Woods, Roy, McMann, Want.
Referee: Kevin Clancy.