Kilmarnock 2 - 1 Dundee: Kilmarnock hold off Dundee to set up Easter Road clash

KILMARNOCK manager Kenny Shiels may feel vindicated in victory. Ultimately, there wasn’t much between his Rugby Park side and their dogged Dundee opponents, who fought tigerishly when hope seemed gone to avoid elimination in their Scottish Cup fourth round replay in Ayrshire.

But there was enough in terms of the striking prowess that Kilmarnock exhibited for their win to be warranted. Paul Heffernan and Dean Shiels illuminated the tie with two excellent first-half goals that allowed them to survive a spirited showing from Barry Smith’s side after the interval that might have served up more than the Gavin Rae header that had Kilmarnock wishing away the last 25 minutes.

Having surrendered home advantage with a 1-1 draw in the original tie between the teams ten days ago, Dundee were faced with earning an away day against Hibernian the hard way as they sought to become the first lower division team to knock-out a Scottish Premier League team in this season’s competition.

Kilmarnock’s run to the Scottish Communities League Cup semi-finals date meant Shiels went into last night’s replay as never having lost a cup tie across his nine months in charge. That little run looked as if it might face a real stiff test in the opening skirmishes. Dundee exhibited a zest and belief that was noticably lacking in a nervy home side. But gradually the flow became ever more to the Dundee goal. And it was a former idol of the Dens Park team that had everything to do with that turnaround.

Gary Harkins wasn’t supposed to be in contention for this replay. He has been recuperating from an ankle break. But his inclusion gave Kilmarnock a vital attacking link-man in the two first half goals. Which is not to underplay the sumptuous quality of the strikes from Heffernan and Shiels.

Ten minutes from the interval a kick-out brought a headed flick-on from Harkins into the path of Heffernan down the left channel.

The Irishman did the rest, cutting inside and then opting for precision over power to tuck the ball in at the far corner.

The effort that doubled Kilmarnock’s advantage ten minutes later was of a more spectacular variety. Shiels, who seems to cope just fine with having to answer to his dad, is driven by his desire to play the best football he can and he will bank enormous satisfaction from the explosive hit that he clobbered into the roof of the net after being teed up by Harkins on the edge of the box. Most of the 4,618 crowd inside Rugby Park, including a sizeable and vocal Dundee contingent, would have spent the subsequent interval thinking there was little life left in this replay.

An understandable conclusion, it proved wholly presumptuous. While Dundee would not accept the expected conclusion, Kilmarnock seemed complacent about the inevitable. It was a combination that resulted in the visitors making all the early running in the second period and resuscitating their fifth round hopes in the 63rd minute. Captain Rae was the man who threw himself at a Gary Irvine cross in from the right.

Kilmarnock could have been a whole lot more on edge when a short headed passback from Manuel Pascali was almost intercepted by Rae, who slid in and was only inches from making contact.

“SPL, you’re having a laugh” the Dundee followers mocked as Kilmarnock’s composure deserted them and they became increasingly haphazard in their attempts to see out the final minutes. Yet, however unimpressive Shiels men may been towards the end, they still had the last laugh.

Kilmarnock: Bell, Fowler, Kroca, Sissoko, McKeown, Kelly, Pascali, Hay (Racchi 84), Shiels, Harkins, Heffernan. Subs Not Used: Letheren, Silva, Dayton, Kennedy.

Dundee: Douglas, Irvine, McKeown, McGregor, Lockwood, Chisholm (Bayne 83), Rae, O’Donnell, Conroy, Milne, McCluskey. Subs not used: Gibson, Hyde, Weston, Benedictis