Premier Sports certainly picked the correct game to broadcast. Five goals, a comeback, a red card, pundits furious over keepy-ups and the worst goalkeeping howler this season – all wrapped into one action-packed day at Dens Park.
That’s the Dundee we know can show up. Strong in possession, direct in one-on-one duels, high intensity pressing and creating chances.
Truth be told, Dundee didn’t lay a finger on Hibs in the opening 10 minutes and Jordan Obita’s red card completely changed the complexion of the contest.
Sometimes playing against 10 men can be trickier than it seems, especially if your opponents hunker down with a tight defensive structure. But Hibs failed to adapt, lacking a Plan B, and for the remaining 80 minutes it was one-way traffic.
Josh Mulligan was electric. He ran riot, they couldn’t handle him and that’s what I’ve been waiting for all season. I knew if given a run of starts he’d eventually terrify whoever he came up against and his man of the match award was thoroughly deserved.
Praise is also merited for the displays of Finlay Robertson and Jordan McGhee. McGhee, in particular, has been instrumental; it’s no coincidence that Dundee’s form improves when he’s in the team.
He has scored in our last two victories (both were equalisers), and in games where he has played over 45 minutes, Dundee boast a 61.5% win rate this season. The only defeats in such games were against Rangers at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-finals and Aberdeen away.
To bounce back from our 4-1 defeat at Pittodrie with a 4-1 victory at Dens speaks volumes of the strength in personality we have in the dressing room. We were looking for a reaction after the international break and it couldn’t have been a much more comprehensive win.
More positive news off the park has surfaced with the announcement of a strategic partnership with one of Mexico’s biggest clubs, CF Monterrey. We already have a fruitful collaboration with Burnley and it’s great to see the club broadening its muscles with the opportunity to build on extensive knowledge and connections from the Americas.
Kilmarnock away next, we could make a real statement of intent with a positive result down there. I expect us to go from one thriller to another as Dundee v Kilmarnock is bound to be the best fixture in the league for the neutral.
