Morton 1 - 2 Dundee: Dundee pick up Morton momentum

TWO blockbusting strikes were enough to ensure Dundee continued to resurrect their season with a win over injury-ravaged Morton.

They remain 11 points off the top spot, but a title race is more about how you finish than how you start and the pre-season favourites are finding their rhythm with more than enough time to claw back the deficit.

Dens Park manager, Barry Smith, was full of praise for his men, but played down talk of any momentum building. He said: “It is only three points, no more. This is a very difficult place to come and Morton made it hard for us, especially as we didn’t play anything like as well as we can.”

His opposite number, Allan Moore, bemoaned another frustrating day for his men, saying: “Disappointed to lose and disappointed with the manner we lost the goals and when we lost them.” He added: “They had two shots on goal and scored with both, that is the story of the game.”

Not so long ago this would have been a top-versus-bottom encounter, but with both teams finding a change of fortune recently, Dundee knew they could close to within a point of former leaders Morton with a win – a scenario which looked unlikely not so long ago when Smith’s team were bottom of the table having endured a nightmarish start to their campaign.

If the visitors were looking to put their early form behind them, the hosts would have been desperate to recapture some of their early fizz. Since going top of the pile in September, the Cappielow men have failed to deal with the pressure, leading to a self-combustive downturn in results and a white-knuckle plummet from the summit, which was only halted with a first win in five last week.

Having steadied the ship, Morton were ahead in this game after five minutes, Irish striker Andy Jackson with a scrambled finish from close range that owed much to some abhorrent Dundee defending. The truth is, though, the Dark Blues could have already have been in the lead had on-loan Celtic winger, Ryan Conroy, pictured inset, not fluffed his lines when presented with a free header six-yards out seconds earlier.

With a goal advantage, Morton appeared the more likely team for much of the opening period, although for all the possession they enjoyed, only a low Paul Di Giacomo drive gave Rab Douglas anything to get overly concerned about in the visiting goal. Dundee were reduced to wild long-range dips, all the more worrying given the Morton defence was missing two first-choice central defenders, had a striker at right back and a right-back on the left.

However, three minutes from the break all the home team’s good work went down the drain, albeit at the hands of a moment of undoubted class. Conroy’s cross was excellent, but the volleyed finish from former Scotland midfielder Gavin Rae was straight out of the top drawer. If Rae’s strike was quality it was more than matched ten minutes after the restart as Dundee went in front having survived a Peter MacDonald drive skimming the bar at the other end. Substitute Jake Hyde showed great composure to pick out Conroy who in turn drilled home his volley with a lethal mixture of power and precision.

With a lead to protect, Dundee sat in, soaked up waves of what was largely insipid Morton pressure and looked to hit on the occasional counter. Ultimately neither team could add to the scoring leaving Morton to reflect on a third successive home reversal, and Dundee a real threat on the rails.