Dundee take control of Championship title race on seismic night for Dens Park outfit

On a blustery, wet evening at Dens Park, Dundee took control of the cinch Championship title race as it enters the final straight with a 3-1 win over Raith Rovers.

Striker Zach Robinson celebrates putting Dundee 2-0 up at Dens Park.

Four games now remain and Dundee are in the box seat. They lead second-placed Queen’s Park by three points and have a far superior goal difference. Their next four matches are not altogether straightforward: Morton (h), Inverness (a), Cove Rangers (h) and then the Spiders away on the last day of the season. Many people had that match at Ochilview down as a winner-takes-all showdown but Gary Bowyer’s men now have momentum when it matters most and could be promoted before then.

In-form Partick Thistle are not out of the reckoning either but the league is now Dundee’s to lose. This was their game-in-hand over the rest of the challengers and they could not have handpicked a better opponent in Raith, severely depleted by injury and one of the few teams in this league with precious little to play for.

Dundee were able to restore key striker Zach Robinson to the starting XI and the Englishman came good alongside strike partner Alex Jakubiak. The two combined on 29 minutes, with Jakubiak turning towards goal and threading an accurate through-ball for Robinson to run on to. He had plenty of time to steady himself and fire the ball past Robbie Thomson.

The on-loan Wimbledon man doubled the advantage on 29 minutes. This time it was Luke McCowan doing the spade-work, curling in a fine cross that Robinson poked into the bottom corner, celebrating exuberantly in front of the Bobby Cox Stand. At that point, the only threat to Dundee was the weather, with the rest of the match played out in wintry, miserable conditions. Jakubiak put the tin lid on proceedings on 75 minutes, lashing home Lyall Cameron’s cutback, even if Rovers got a consolation not long afterwards via William Akio.

Elsewhere in the league, Inverness moved to within two points of the play-offs with a 2-0 win over Arbroath, who will be glad that another team chasing promotion in Morton also prevailed, beating fellow relegation candidates Hamilton at Cappielow by the same scoreline.