Dens Park still on track for Premiership swansong as Dundee overcome penalty gaffe to reignite title race

Scotland’s match of the day? Well, not quite maybe. Circumstances ensured the managerial culling exercise at Easter Road was granted that billing.
Dundee's Alex Jakubiak celebrates scoring to make it 2-0 against Queen's Park. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)Dundee's Alex Jakubiak celebrates scoring to make it 2-0 against Queen's Park. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)
Dundee's Alex Jakubiak celebrates scoring to make it 2-0 against Queen's Park. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)

A contender for worst penalty of the season? Possibly. Home winger Paul McMullan’s effort from the spot after only six minutes is certainly up there although, in truth, Harry Kane has probably still got that honour sewn up.

Dundee’s most important result of the season? Very probably. They knew that a loss would have been difficult to withstand for morale reasons as well as the more obvious potential consequences, with home supporters concerned about the prospect of falling eight points behind the leaders. This was a veritable six-pointer.

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As it stands, the Championship title race is still very much on, with Ayr United as well as Dundee having made important statements in the last 48 hours. The latter club confirmed last week that they will be playing at Dens Park for one more campaign at least. This deserved 3-0 win over the current pacesetters was a boost to the chances of Dens Park hosting Premiership football in what could well prove the venerable stadium’s final season. Dundee's fate is back in their own hands.

Dundee's Paul McMullan misses a penalty during the 3-0 win over Queen of the South. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)Dundee's Paul McMullan misses a penalty during the 3-0 win over Queen of the South. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)
Dundee's Paul McMullan misses a penalty during the 3-0 win over Queen of the South. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)

The next time they face Queen's Park is on the last day of the season, possibly at Hampden Park. Who knows what could be at stake then?

McMullan recovered from his early mishap to be named man of the match. Although the winger didn’t score, he never gave up and wiped out the memory of that fluffed penalty with a fine assist for Dundee's second goal from Alex Jakubiak, who made a sweet connection with his belly as he slid in at the far post after 74 minutes.

It felt like a decisive intervention from a player who only came on as a substitute nine minutes earlier, and who had already played a significant part in the opener.

Jakubiak’s powerful run on the left ended with him going for goal when he might have been better served by passing. His better-placed fellow substitute Ben Williamson did get the chance to shoot after ‘keeper Calum Ferrie made the block. The ball rebounded to Williamson, who drilled in off the underside of the bar.

Skipper Ryan Sweeney rounded off the win seven minutes from time after turning in a cross from substitute Ryan Clampin. It was an eye-catching cameo from Clampin, who only signed on loan from Colchester United the previous day.

The handsome nature of the victory was made all the more impressive given the false-start of McMullan’s penalty gaffe after he had been pulled down by a rash challenge from Tommy Robson. Who knows what McMullan was thinking?

Dundee manager Gary Bowyer claimed afterwards that his players had been practising penalties all week following the manner of their Scottish Cup exit against St Mirren seven days earlier. After holding their Premiership hosts for 120 minutes, the visitors managed to miss all three penalties in the shootout.

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At least they made St Mirren 'keeper Trevor Carson work. McMullan passed straight into Calum Ferrie’s hands, with the former Dundee man not required to move an inch.

The visitors could not take advantage of the let-off. Manager Owen Coyle found it hard to accept a 3-0 loss at Dens Park earlier in the season, when the result had flattered Dundee, but it was difficult to argue that this was in any way harsh on his side.

Coyle did claim his team had “controlled” the play. They fell short where it mattered in front of goal, however. Simon Murray did not get a sniff on his return to his childhood club and amid rumours linking him with Hibs as well as a return to Dens.

Coyle was gracious at the end, even after some serious abuse directed at him from the hospitality seats of all places. This was possibly on account of his comments following the last meeting at Dens as well as, perhaps, more historic crimes dating to when he was a stick-thin striker expert at plundering goals against Dundee. Either way, Coyle is a football man and is sensitive to suffering. The Dundee fans do deserve to be commended for sticking by their team despite everything. Flyers for joining relaunched fans' group Dee4Life were being handed out outside.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game against a very good team with good individual players and with the crowd up for it,” said Coyle. “Fair play, it was fantastic support. They have had their trials and tribulations through the years but my god, those Dundee fans get behind the team, so all credit to them."

The crowd for this first-v-third clash was a healthy 5004, 213 of them away fans. The Queen’s Park supporters were not downhearted at the end and applauded their team off. They will have to wait a bit longer for a first win at Dens Park since 1927 - or maybe that will now stand forever as their club's final triumph on this park, with the wrecking ball apparently waiting to swing.

Coyle did have one gripe: a penalty shout at 0-0, after Sam Fisher’s push on Josh McPake, the lively winger who had seemingly forgotten his shooting boots. At least three efforts cleared the bar.

Coyle was keen to focus on the positives afterwards in an exacting period for his side. After a trip to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup on Tuesday night, Queen's Park face another top-of-the-table clash against Ayr United on Friday.

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“Logistically, our heavy travelling (in the league) is now done,” he said. “Our away games now are round about the Glasgow area. We knew January was going to be a huge month. And obviously here we are at the end of January still sitting top of the league.

“If someone said that to us last year, when we were 27 points behind Cove and 21 behind Airdrie (in League One), we would have grabbed it. That does not make today any easier, incidentally.”

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