Dundee all but down after Adam’s howler
ONE moment of madness and another of brilliance were all it took to all but end Dundee’s stay in the Premiership after just one season.
Their chances of survival have looked grim for months but this loss away to St Mirren, combined with St Johnstone’s draw with Livingston, sealed their fate in all but name.
Trailing the Perth side by six points with just two games remaining and with an inferior goal difference, that outcome could be settled when they take on Hibernian on Tuesday, needing something of a miracle.
Given they haven’t won a single game since Mark McGhee was appointed in February, they can have no complaints about an immediate return to the Championship.
They were undone here by an early howler from their own captain, Charlie Adam, before a stunning strike from Curtis Main early in the second half ended any prospect of a comeback.
As in other recent games, they showed glimpses of promise here but failed to take their chances and ultimately paid the price.
In winning back-to-back games to ensure their own Premiership status for another year, St Mirren savoured a league victory in front of their own fans on a Saturday for the first time since November 2019. Ultimately it was well deserved.
Dundee needed everything to go their way if they were to claw their way out of relegation trouble which made Adam’s actions after just four minutes all the more baffling.
Closed down by Greg Kiltie but not in any real danger, the former Rangers midfielder inexplicably chose to turn and play a ball right across the face of his own goal.
Alex Greive could scarcely believe his luck, the New Zealander able to take a touch before hammering in the opening goal from all of six yards. He will never enjoy an easier one.
That seemed to suck the life out of Dundee after a promising start as St Mirren poured forward looking to double their advantage.
Main had been a player desperately in need of a goal for some time now and the big striker must have thought his moment had come when he met Alex Gogic’s cross flush on the forehead. Harry Sharp, though, was equal to it, the goalkeeper diving to his left to make a smart save.
Main’s moment, though, would follow later in the contest.
It was all Saints at this point and Kiltie was next to threaten with a low driven effort that whistled wide.
Adam was presented with a chance to atone for his earlier mistake when Dundee were awarded a freekick just outside the box but the former St Mirren loanee smashed both his shot and his follow-up effort into the defensive wall before the danger was cleared.
The visitors were at least finally starting to present themselves as some sort of attacking force but continued to look vulnerable any time the home side attacked.
Scott Tanser’s deliveries were causing all sort of difficulties and, from one such inswinging ball from the left, Connor McCarthy rose well but couldn’t direct his header.
Greive is another who has impressed in black and white this season but the Kiwi international made a poor call at the end of a sweeping St Mirren move, attempting to go it alone and getting tackled when a pass to Kiltie would have been the better option.
The contest could have been all over by half-time but, trailing by just a goal, Dundee opened the second period like a team intent on making the most of their lifeline.
Twice within the opening five minutes they could have drawn level only for great goalkeeping and then misfortune to deny them. Ryan Sweeney had the first opportunity, nodding on Adam’s free-kick only for Jak Alnwick to spring and turn his header over the bar.
Moments later and it was Jordan McGhee’s turn to feel frustrated. St Mirren failed to clear a corner and when the ball bobbled to McGhee he could only poke it on to the post then watch it dribble into Alnwick’s arms.
A Dundee equaliser looked imminent but for the second time in the game they were stung by a goal out of nowhere. This time there was no defensive howler to blame, simply brilliant attacking play as Main fastened on to Marcus Fraser’s ball, took a touch before unleashing a venomous shot past Sharp.
The striker had tried to take a goal away from Fraser earlier in the season in a win over Aberdeen — he claimed to have got a touch on a floated cross that drifted straight in — but there was no doubt over this one as the former Motherwell man notched his first league goal of the season to all but settle any doubts over the outcome.
ST MIRREN (3-4-1-2): Alnwick; Fraser, Shaughnessy, McCarthy; Tait, Gogic, Erhahon (Power 76), Tanser; Kiltie (Flynn 82); Greive (Henderson 90), Main (Brophy 90). Subs (not used): Lyness, Gilmartin. Booked: Tait, Kiltie, Erhahon, Gogic. DUNDEE (4-2-3-1): Sharp; Kerr, Sweeney, McGhee, Marshall; McGowan (Byrne 66), Adam (Mulligan 60); McCowan (McMullan 60), McGinn, Rudden (Anderson 74); Mullen. Subs (not used): Welsh, Fontaine, Byrne, Chapman, Robertson, Daley-Campbell. Booked: Sweeney.
Referee: David Dickinson. Attendance: 5,564.