It’s Dens Park for goals as Dundee gain ground on league leaders

Dundee were the only winners in the First Division on Saturday as they saw off Livingston 3-0 at Dens Park with the Dark Blues’ game outscoring the three other encounters that took place.

Barry Smith’s side go into tomorrow night’s Scottish Cup replay at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock in good spirits after brushing aside the challenge of a Livingston side that had an early Iain Russell chance saved by the evergreen Rab Douglas.

Dundee took the lead on 19 minutes when Ryan Conroy capitalised on good build-up play from Jamie McCluskey, Steven Milne and Gavin Rae to crash a shot past Andy McNeil.

Kenny Deuchar wasted a second-half opening to get Livi back into things and Neil McGregor made the visitors pay when he directed home a Jake Hyde flick from a Conroy free-kick to make it 2-0.

Mark Fotheringham was then dismissed when he picked up his second yellow card of the afternoon for a crude challenge on Gavin Rae and, to cap a miserable end to the game for the visitors, substitute Nicky Riley headed in a third for Dundee.

Smith said: “The second goal killed the game off and I thought that we were very professional throughout. We will keep doing what we are doing and not worry about anyone else and see what happens over the coming months.”

Frustrated Livi manager Gary Bollan said: “People will look at the score and get the wrong impression as we did not get that much of a going over.”

Leaders Ross County made little headway in their top versus bottom clash at Queen of the South and they had to settle for a point as the game finished 0-0. Both sides were dogged in the first-half with very little given away, but the Dingwall side were on top during the second period.

Dundee United-bound Michael Gardyne almost caught Lee Robinson napping with a shot from 30 yards out before missing the game’s best opening when he slid the ball past the post after being sent clean through on goal.

County substitute Steven Craig was also denied by Robinson, but manger Derek Adams said: “We are 16 games undefeated, so I do not have too many complaints about this one result.”

Second-placed Falkirk also played out a 0-0 draw against Ayr United with the Honest Men’s goalkeeper Kevin Cuthbert putting the shutters up.

Cuthbert turned away an early Farid El Alagui volley before making further first-half saves from Kallum Higginbotham and David Weatherston.

The shot-stopper was finally beaten in the second-half, but defender John Robertson popped up on the goal-line to head away a Weatherston effort.

Morton and Raith Rovers met in the league at Cappielow just seven days after the Greenock side won at Kirk-caldy in the Scottish Cup and this time the honours were even in a 1-1 draw.

The Fife side went ahead 10 minutes into the second-half when Grant Murray headed in a Joe Hamill corner, but Morton struck back 10 minutes later when David O’Brien converted an Archie Campbell pass from six yards.

Morton join Partick Thistle on 26 points following the Jags’ 1-0 defeat against Hamilton Accies on Friday.