Ross County 1 Dundee 3: Dark Blues seal opening day win

[News Bot]

A Rory Loy double and a Paul McGowan strike ensured Dundee kicked off their Premiership campaign with victory at Ross County.

Frontman Loy, trusted to lead the line ahead Faissal El Bakhtaoui, who debuted off the bench late on, netted two first-half strikes. McGowan then popped up with a surging run from midfield to bundle home a third in the second 45, while Craig Curran netted for the home side, as the Dark Blues started the season off on the right foot.

While this was nowhere near as emphatic as last season’s opener at Kilmarnock – a 4-0 win – in many ways it was all the more impressive.
What the performance lacked in style was more than made up for with grit, determination and substance.

Before a ball was even kicked the match, from a Dark Blues’ perspective anyway, looked to have been overshadowed by the news that Greg Stewart did not travel with the squad to Dingwall.

The club cited an ankle injury, while the rumour mill went into overdrive.

If social media was to be believed Stewart to Birmingham/Blackburn (insert any club name here) was already a done deal. As things stand, at time of writing, Stewart is still a Dundee player.

On to the action, Loy’s opener came on the break. A centre from the right was volleyed home from close range, as the former Rangers and Falkirk striker followed up last week’s Forfar effort with another neat finish.

His second was from the spot. The lively Mark O’Hara was bundled over by Jay McEveley in the area and Loy made no mistake from 12 yards, sending Scott Fox the wrong way for 2-0.

It was 3-0 when the Dark Blues pulled off the classic counter-attack strike. Breaking from their own half, Loy found Michael Duffy on the right who centred to the advancing McGowan. The midfielder then struck straight at Fox but the ball had just enough on it to squirm under the keeper and into the back of the net.

Soon after the Staggies were back in it as sub Craig Curran lashed in after a corner broke his way, just moments after a Scott Bain wonder save from City of Discovery boy Michael Gardyne.

And that’s the way it stayed as Paul Hartley’s men withstood a late home charge to hang on for the win.

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