Cruising Victory Worth The Wait For Dundee Fans

[JoeCovenant]

Source: The Evening Telegraph

Dundee fans have had to be patient in the club’s quest for three points.

But eight games and 10 weeks after their last win in the Premiership, this one was certainly worth the wait. The Dark Blues put an end to their recent slump in emphatic fashion with a four-goal salvo against a hapless Motherwell at Dens Park. And, in truth, they couldn’t have hand-picked their opponents better if they’d tried.

For all Dundee were impressive, the visitors were pathetic.

Ross County and St Mirren have been here in recent weeks — meaning all three of the main protagonists in what looks like being a tight battle against the drop have visited the City of Discovery. Evaluating the trio, you’d have to say Ian Baraclough’s under performing outfit look by far the worst. Dundee could have scored eight the last time they went to Fir Park and it was something similar on Saturday.

Things got off to the perfect start when Alex Harris’ speculative long-range effort took a heavy deflection and nestled in the back of the net, leaving returning keeper Dan Twardzik helpless. They doubled the advantage soon after when Greg Stewart first hit a shot off Twardzik which bounced off the upright, only for the in-form frontman to follow up with a header into an empty net. Eleven goals so far this season is a just reward for the ex-Cowdenbeath man. But ghosts of the winless-run came back at the other end when some poor defending allowed John Sutton to steal in and slot home from six yards.

The two-goal lead was restored not long after the half-hour when Gary Irvine lashed home a spilled Stewart corner. Things went from bad to worse for ’Well when Henrik Ojamaa was dismissed for throwing an arm at skipper Kevin Thomson. And the game was out of reach on 70 minutes when Luka Tankulic’s effort made its way into the back of the net via the culpable Twardzik and Mark O’Brien.

At times on this run we’ve all wondered, with good reason, where Dundee’s next win was set to come from.

But the Dark Blues have not become a bad team overnight and they proved that at the weekend. While talk of a top-six charge may resurface from the terraces and even from the dressing-room, consolidation is the biggest prize Dundee can claim this season. It can never be forgotten that it’s been a long time since this club strung together a few seasons in the top flight.

Survival was the goal in August. It’s still the goal now. And three points against a team who will without doubt have to improve to remain in the Premiership is as valuable as any they’ll get this season. Further to that, it all but ends talk of relegation, with the gap now at 14 points to the bottom two.

It’s only six for Motherwell, though, and things look grim for them.

[Cobra]

Good stuff. Given that we could be only five points clear of the play-offs a week Saturday if results go against us, I think it's a bit early to be saying our relegation worries are over though. If we get to the end of this month with the gap around 14 points then we can start planning for next season in the top tier.

[JoeCovenant]

Exciting times...

...for all the RIGHT reasons for a change!