No glory, but plenty of zest from Griffiths for Dark Blues
LEIGH GRIFFITHS failed to mark his Dens Park return with a goal but posted a hugely encouraging performance as Dundee were forced to settle for a third successive home Premiership draw.
Arguably deserving of more than a point against both St Mirren and Hibernian, the top-flight new boys were frustrated once again.
Griffiths, on his first outing of the season, could not be faulted for effort nor invention.
There were plenty of positives to be gleaned by his manager James McPake as the on-loan Celtic striker led the Dundee line again 10 years after he left for Wolverhampton.
McPake fully expects Griffiths to be capable of high-level production once he attains match sharpness.
He was granted all 93 minutes against the division’s bottom club to edge towards that aim.
‘I’m delighted Leigh got through the full game,’ said McPake. ‘It’s always a risk when he hasn’t done that for so long.
‘He’s been working really hard at Celtic and since coming here, so that’s why he was able to get through it. That’ll have done him the world of good. He’ll always carry a threat, he’s got a wee bit to go in terms of sharpness but we’ll work on that.’
Having blown away the cobwebs, Griffiths (below) will be licking his lips at the prospect of the upcoming schedule.
There’s a Dundee derby next Sunday, followed by a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Tayside rivals St Johnstone before his old foes Rangers rock up at Kilmac Stadium.
Griffiths will be hoping United goalkeeper Trevor Carson is not as inspired across the road at Tannadice as Max Stryjek was in helping Livingston to their first point of the campaign.
Griffiths wasn’t the only Dundee player cursing the Polish keeper for his string of fine stops.
Stryjek was smartly over to his right and strong in the save to deny Max Anderson after the midfielder skipped in behind Ayo Obileye to fire powerfully on target.
Stryjek bettered that before the break, tipping a looping Ryan Sweeney header onto the woodwork and over following Cammy Kerr’s cross.
Griffiths was supported for most of the game by Luke McCowan and Alex Jakubiak. His excellent movement, drifting right, created the pathway for McCowan to dart through the away defence.
Jordan McGhee, skipper in the absence of injured Charlie Adam, strode on to McCowan’s wellweighted ball and snatched at the chance, firing wastefully over. Livingston stuck to their task and produced an improved display in spite of losing Craig Sibbald to injury midway through the first half. He was stretchered off and taken to hospital after suffering a bad stud wound to his ankle.
A near-post Andrew Shinnie volley was forced away by Adam Legzdins, and midfielder Ben Williamson, on loan from Rangers, skimmed the top of the bar with a 20-yard drive. It was a Griffiths goal that the home crowd craved. Just before the hour, they thought it had arrived. With the benefit of a deflection, the striker’s shot spun and bounded towards goal, but Stryjek raced to the aid of Livingston again by pawing the ball off his line.
Livi boss David Martindale did not paint a pretty picture of the second-half action.
‘It was blood and guts, both sets of players were getting stuck in for it,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t the greatest of games to watch.
‘Dundee probably had the better chances overall. It didn’t look to me like Griffiths hadn’t played a lot of games over the last few years.
‘He and Jason Cummings together will cause teams problems, so to keep a clean sheet is very pleasing.’
DUNDEE (4-3-3): Legzdins; Kerr, Ashcroft, Sweeney, Marshall; Byrne, Anderson (McGowan 82), McGhee; Jakubiak (Cummings 64), Griffiths, McCowan (McDaid 64).
Subs (not used): Lawlor, Fontaine, Panter,
Sheridan.
Booked: Ashcroft, Kerr.
LIVINGSTON (4-3-2-1): Stryjek; Devlin, Fitzwater, Obileye, Penrice; Holt, Williamson (Jacobs 73), Sibbald (Bailey 29); Shinnie, Forrest; Anderson (Hamilton 59).
Subs (not used): Barden, Longridge, Lewis, Montano.
Booked: Williamson, Holt, Bailey, Forrest. Referee: Alan Muir.
Attendance: 5,015.