Mccann rues loss of ‘avoidable’ goal as Dundee slip to fourth successive defeat

Dundee boss Neil Mccann was left frustrated by the loss of another “avoidable” goal in the 1-0 defeat by St Johnstone at Mcdiarmid Park on Saturday.

Tony Watt raced through in the 52nd minute to beat goalkeeper Jack Hamilton with a confident finish to give Saints their first Premiership win of the season. It also left the visitors with four straight defeats, three in the league, to the annoyance of Mccann.

He told DEETV: “They are avoidable goals and that’s what is disappointing. The goal we lost was [among] things I discussed at half time but it is human error, decisionmaking at crucial times. We paid a heavy price and it was a sore one.

“I thought we were really good in the first half, had loads

of the ball but again we failed to hit the target with chances created.

“We told them where the danger would come from and they would have to deal with it and we did deal with it, they had loads of crosses into the box and we dealt with them.

“We had a wee chat at halftime about Tony Watt peeling down the channels so the goal we lost was just so poor. It was a disappointing day again.”

St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright praised the revitalised

Watt for making a goal “out of nothing” and was more lighthearted in his tribute to goalkeeper Zander Clark, who saved substitute Sofien Moussa’s close-range header in the final minute to ensure all three points remained in Perth.

The former Newcastle United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper said: “I am not going to diss [disrespect] Zander but it was a good save not a brilliant save. It was a straight at him.

“It is probably a poor finish

from the lad Moussa. But he keeps us in the game. He was good all day, his distribution was good, he made two good saves from long range in the first-half.

“I would expect a keeper like Zander to save that. But coming off his line and sweeping up behind the back four, coming and punching things when they were putting crosses into the box, was good.

“He is a top class keeper. He needs the run of games that he will get this year.”