The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
McPake hails Dens crowd
Dundee boss James McPake hailed the impact of returning home fans as his side earned a 2-2 draw against high-flying Hibs.
The midday contest was the first time all four stands were open for supporters for 17 months.
And the home faithful were on their feet in appreciation as the Dark Blues started quickly, grabbing the opener through Jason Cummings.
The travelling Hibees revelled in their side equalising thanks to Martin Boyle’s penalty before Ryan Porteous volleyed his side into the lead in the second half.
The Dens boss praised the resilience of his side as they fought back to level the match on 83 minutes as Paul McGowan headed in.
“The fans have waited a while for that,” said McPake.
“They were right behind us. We’ve said it all along that if you give them something to cheer, like attacking football, tackles and Paul McMullan chasing the goalkeeper down… It sounds simple but what it is is hard work and effort.
“They just leave nothing out there and the crowd appreciate that.
“They were egging us on to go and get that winner, and we wanted that winner, but it just wasn’t to be.
“It’s great having them back and trust it to be Gowser who scores when the South Enclosure is open again for the first time.”
Paul McMullan grabbed the Man of the Match award as he added yet another assist to his growing tally as a Dundee player.
His cross for McGowan’s equaliser was the seventh goal he’s laid on this season.
More impressively the former Dundee United winger was ill during the first half.
McPake said: “Paul was sick after six or seven minutes and goes on to pick up Man of the Match.
“He just said he didn’t feel well. Credit to him for playing 90 minutes. He was physically sick on the pitch.”
Dundee felt hard done by in the first half when referee Alan Muir pointed to the spot after Christie Elliott had bundled Jamie Murphy over.
Replays showed the tackle was outside the box.
Asked about the penalty, McPake replied: “The contact is outside the box. The referee has got a split second to make that decision but he has got to be spot on. It’s a pretty simple decision in my opinion.”