Recon mission
St Mirren 1 Dundee 2
FStewart Fisher at St Mirren Park ORGET about the Old Firm or the Edinburgh derby and make way for Scotland’s n e wes t grudge match. This was the reconstruction derby and it found Dundee raging against the dying of the light.
As his side have arguably the most to lose in it all, few were more disgruntled by the decision of St Mirren chairman Stewart Gilmour to vote against the 12-12-18 reconstruction proposals than Dundee chief executive Scot Gardiner. So, as the two men sat just metres apart, there was a demonstration of righteous defiance in t he Dundonian directors’ area when a late goal from substitute Carl Finnigan, just back after 11 months out with a cartilage injury, permitted the Dens Park side a stay of execution for at least another week.
For all of Dundee’s fine late season form, it remains mission improbable if they are to save their SPL status at the expense of their hosts. St Mirren, who ended this match with 10 men following the dismissal of captain Jim Goodwin for two yellow cards, are 10 points clear with a superior goal difference, with four matches remaining. But their interim manager was fully entitled to revel in a win which did little to dampen his hopes of landing the job on a permanent basis. For all the uproar that greeted his arrival at the club, he has now presided over seven SPL matches, losing just once.
John Brown, who, like his players, wore a black armband in tribute to Isobel Sneddon, the club’s former secretary who passed away last week, ended the match with the fans chanting his name. It was nice timing ahead of the interview process for a permanent appointment, which is set to begin on Monday. Billy Reid and Craig Brown could be among the other candidates. “It makes a change from ‘ Brown must go!’” Brown joked. “Dundee is a big club. I had a great playing career here in my early years and the Dundee fans have always given me their backing and I would love the opportunity.
“Over the piece we deserved it,” he added. “These guys have been criticised all season. They have been labelled first division players, but in the games that I have been in charge they have proven they are a match for anybody. What it does is it tells other teams that we are not going to stop playing until the final whistle. Everybody keeps writing us off, but it is out of our control what St Mirren do. We have to win our next game and see what develops after that.”
After a good save from Craig Samson – linked with replacing Darren Randolph at Motherwell – at the feet of John Baird within seconds, it was the home areas of the crowd which reverberated after eight minutes, part of a pre-planned fans’ tribute to the
Dundee fans have always given me their backing
club’s decision to sink the 12-12-18 plans. Applause on three sides of the ground, chants of ‘there’s only one Stewart Gilmour’ and a banner which proclaimed ‘We are all Stewart Gilmour’ left it in no uncertain terms what the views of the Paisley rank and file were.
They may not have bargained for being involved in a relegation dogfight, however – the spectre of which loomed closer when the excellent Jim McAlister latched on to a Baird flick, dodged past Goodwin, and fired in a left-foot volley which bounced on its way past Samson. The home support, though, breathed a bit easier when Steven Thompson rose to direct a Gary Teale corner low past Steve Simonsen six minutes after the break.
Things would get worse for them again. Having seen Paul McGowan l i mp off after 25 minutes with an ankle problem, Goodwin became the next costly St Mirren absentee. The Irishman completed an out- of- character performance by compounding a bad first-half tackle on McAlister with an accumulation of fouls in the second. “Jim is an experienced player for us but he has put the team in a difficult position,” said manager Danny Lennon.
Too right he did. One- way traffic towards the hosts’ goal ensued, and shortly after Brian Easton had cracked a post, Gary Harkins worked a yard and found a cross which Finnigan gleefully headed in off the underside of the crossbar, the goal awarded after a momentary pause as Craig Thomson’s officiating team decided it was over the line. “As far as we are concerned we can only win any game that comes our way,” said Finnigan, after ensuring the SPL relegation issue