April 28, 2023
These diaries have featured Dundee twice this season, with their matches in the Scottish Challenge Cup being free to air on TV, S4C showing their tie at The New Saints and BBC Alba broadcasting the game at Falkirk. Tonight, BBC Scotland were showing their home league match against Cove Rangers, having vital importance at both ends of the table.
Dundee started the day top of the table, and with two matches remaining in the season they could win the title and promotion to the Scottish Premiership with a win tonight, and Queen’s Park losing at Morton tomorrow. Any other combination of results would leave the title in the balance, with a final day showdown between the two candidates next weekend at Queen’s Park.
In contrast, Cove Rangers game into the game in bottom place, level on points with Hamilton Academical, but with a worse goal difference, but tonight represented a game in hand. Realistically though, anything they got tonight would be a bonus, and their destiny could still be in their own hands as a home victory over Morton in their final game could take them above one of Arbroath and Hamilton, who meet on the final day, and into the relegation play-off position. However, by then Arbroath could already be safe if they took at least a point at Partick Thistle tomorrow.
Cove won their last match, 1-0 at Arbroath, but prior to that they had gone 10 games with a win, with just two draws in that sequence, to slump into the danger zone. Top scorer Leighton McIntosh with 8 goals was missing tonight, and although midfielder Connor Scully had 7 goals to his name, he hadn’t found the net in 2023.
Cove were promoted from the Highland League at the end of 2018/19 after winning the promotion/relegation play-off against Berwick Rangers. They won League 2 at the first attempt, and subsequently finished third in League One the following season. However, they won the League One title at the next attempt to earn promotion to the Championship and to continue their impressive rise through the Scottish pyramid.
Cove Rangers are located in Cove Bay, which rather than being an exotic location in the Caribbean, is actually in Aberdeen. They moved to the Balmoral Stadium in 2018 as their previous Allan Park ground did not meet the SPFL’s minimum stadia criteria.
The manager of Cove is ex-Hearts, Celtic and Millwall midfielder Paul Hartley ( 25 caps ) who as a former manager of Dundee won the Championship for the Dark Blues in 2014 before being sacked in 2017. He was the manager of Cove when they won promotion to the Championship but left in the close season to take-over at Hartlepool. He returned to Cove in January after being sacked by Hartlepool as they struggled near the foot of England’s League Two.
Since a 1-3 reverse at Partick Thistle, Dundee were unbeaten in 8 matches, with 4 wins and 4 draws, but had been held in their most recent two outings. Their run in the Challenge Cup ended at the semi-final stage, being eliminated on penalties by Raith Rovers after a 2-2 in extra-time.
There had been a few departures from the players that had appeared in the two Challenge Cup ties. Striker Zak Rudden has joined St Johnstone on loan, Joe Grayson returned to AFC Barrow at the end of his loan, Derrick Osei was released, and young Luke Strachan joined Alloa Athletic on loan for more experience.
In their place, striker Kwame Thomas joined on loan from Sutton United, midfielder Luke Hannant and defender Ryan Clampin signed on loan from Colchester United, and midfielder Barry Maguire joined on loan from Motherwell. Top scorer Zach Robinson ( 11 goals ) returned to AFC Wimbledon at the end of his loan, but rejoined again at the end of January. Looking at the teams players have been signed from it would suggest that the Scottish Championship is about the same standard as England’s League Two.
At 4,748, Dundee had the best average attendance in the division, with 5,930 watching the match against Arbroath. In comparison, Cove had the lowest average with 995.
Tickets for tonight’s match were £24, with students being charged £16 and Under 18s £10.
Bet365 made Dundee 1/5 favourites, with Cove rank outsiders at 10/1 and the draw at 19/4. When the sides first met back in October, Cove emerged victorious 3-1 at home, but Dundee got revenge with a 3-0 win in the return, and then won 2-0 in the second fixture at Cove.
Cove were today in a change kit of yellow shirts, black shorts and white socks, whilst Dundee were in their familiar dark blue shirts, white shorts and dark blue socks.
There was a strange muddy patch near half-way line on opposite side from the cameras, which acted like treacle for any players trying to run or pass through it !
The game started fairly quietly as Dundee had the majority of the possession with Cove sitting back, defending deep and hardly getting into the Dundee final third. This was to become the pattern of the match.
In the 6th minute Jukubiak fired in a low cross from the right but Robinson, sliding in at far post could only put the ball a couple of feet wide on the stretch.
After 18 minutes Cove made a rare incursion into the Dundee half and launched a long throw into area, but when the loose ball fell to Longridge he could only shoot tamely a couple of yards wide.
Two minutes later a great left-wing cross from McCowan reached Ashcroft but his header at back post went just over the bar.
The first yellow card of the game was brandished in the 22nd minute to Cove’ Morgyn Neill for fouling Robinson after forward turned away from him near half way, then three minutes later Lyall Cameron went down in area with a suggestion his shirt had been pulled, but the referee wasn’t interested.
The home side continued to probe and Jakubiak laid the ball off to McCowan, but left footed chip from edge of the area sailed well over without troubling keeper Fox.
The Cove back 5 was looking solid and well-organised, and Dundee were struggling to create any impression despite overwhelming possession.
Jakubiak again made a promising run at heart of the visitors’ defence and fed Robinson, and although he was able to skip past one sliding defender, the second defender was able to make a block. Marshall then delivered a good cross from the left only for Cameron’s glancing header to be off-target.
Cove were forced to make a substitute in the 42nd minutes as Longridge had to be replaced, and he received little sympathy from the home faithful !
The home side’s best chance to-date came in the 44th minute as McGowan made space for himself just inside the area but with the expectation that the net would soon be bulging, the left footed shot lacked power and was cleared by Ross standing in front of his keeper, although keeper Fox would have had an easy save.
Another rare moment of possible danger from Cove led to Maquire taking a yellow card for the team by pulling back Megginson as Cove broke towards half-way when Dundee short of numbers at the back.
In added on time, Dundee continued to hem Cove into their penalty area. Maguire ran into 18-yard box but ran out of room and the ball rolled to the keeper who gratefully dived on the ball. Moments later Mulligan saw his right-wing cross blocked by Dunne for a corner, and when the ball was delivered into the 6-yard box, a big scramble and a bit of pin-ball ended with Cove being able to clear their lines.
With the game scoreless at the half-time interval, Dundee had been frustrated by a determined rearguard defending deep. Although they had 65% of the possession, they had not had any shots on target. On the other hand, Dundee keeper Legzdins had barely touched the ball, and could have played in a deck-chair whilst reading the newspaper.
The first point of note in the second half saw Cove’s Megginson fail to retreat more than a a couple of yard at a free-kick so the ball was blasted at him. The referee quite rightly showed a yellow card to the Cove striker, and I have always been puzzled why sides do not do this more often when the offending side station a player right in front of the ball to prevent a quickly taken free-kick. After all, the offending side shouldn’t allowed any advantage !
When the free-kick was eventually taken, it was played long where Sweeney played it back into the mixer, but Reynolds was alert to get to it to and concede a corner before it could reach Maguire for a tap-in. The corner was partially cleared, and when played back in to the area, Sweeney’s backward header was easily caught by Fox under his cross bar.
The game then resembled the siege of the Alamo, but Cove bodies were bravely put on the line to block the barrage raining in. Ironically, it then started to rain heavily.
Cove eventually relieved the pressure and were able to win a free-kick on left close to by-line. When the set-piece was cleared, Dundee looked to quickly counter but Cameron’s touch was heavy and Logan was able to beat him in the tackle. Cameron’s challenged initially locked to be late but he was already committed to go for the ball, and the referee decreed that it was a 50/50 ball and no free-kick was awarded. Play resumed with a throw-in to Dundee.
Dundee fashioned another great chance in the 60th minute. Mulligan made a great run down the right and his pull back found Robinson. Unfortunately for the Dark Blues fans, their leading scorer lent back and skied his attempt from 8 yards well over the bar.
Both Dundee full-backs were looking dangerous and after Marshall beat two markers down the left wing, Maguire was unable to make a decent contact with his header. In the 66th minute there was a crowd appeal for a penalty as Ashcroft went down in the area but there was no significant protests from the Dundee players.
Even more than ever, it now resembled a game of attack versus defence and the lively McGowan won the ball, attacked the Cove area only to fire a 25 yarder a few feet over.
Cove’s Longstaff made a solo run to the Dundee area but with no support was forced to take an optimistic pot-shot on goal, which was predictably easily blocked.
Dundee continued to create half chances as Cameron, slightly off balance, slashed a shot narrowly high and wide, and then after another good run and cross from the right, Cameron on the run couldn’t get enough power on his header, and Fox was able to get down and gather.
A short spell of possession by Cove helped them run down the clock for a few minutes. A good run by Dunne led to a pass to Longstaff in the right-hand channel and his cross deflected off for a rare Cove corner. Cove substitute Declan Glass then showed several good bits of skill and composure, and with support from Longstaff was able to keep the ball near the Dundee corner flag for a couple of minutes.
However, Dundee were able to stir themselves for a big finale in the 5 minutes of added on time. A dangerous cross from McMullan was met with some good defending by Naismith to concede corner, then Logan was forced to give away another corner. From yet another Mulligan cross, Ashcroft’s shot on turn was blocked on 6-yard line, a Cameron piledriver was tipped over by Fox and then right at the death Ashcroft’s header from a corner hit the post, and Sweeney hammered the rebound over the bar.
At the final whistle, Dundee would be disappointed to have failed to take all three points. Cove had set their stall out for a point, but with their wealth of possession, Dundee didn’t quite have the creativity to generate enough clear-cut chances. Shots ranged in from distance but were either off-target or blocked, and although there were several mad scrambles in the Cove penalty area, keeper Fox was not required to make any difficult saves.
Although Dundee could have taken pole position in the title race, they will still win the league with a win next Friday over Queen’s Park, in a game being played at Stenhousemuir’s Ochilview Stadium as Queen’s Park have sold Hampden Park to the SFA and Lesser Hampden is still being renovated. Similarly, a win for Cove next week will see them avoid the automatic relegation spot, and possibly also the relegation play-off, depending on Arbroath’s results in their last two matches.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqSBdr43Kt0
Dundee FC : Legzdins – Mulligan, Ashcroft, Sweeney, Marshall – McCowan ( Clampin ), Maguire ( Williamson ), Cameron, Hannant ( McMullan ) – Jakubiak ( Thomas ), Robinson
Cove Rangers : Fox – Naismith, Ross, Reynolds, Neill, Logan – Longridge ( Dunne ), Vigurs ( Glass ), Scully, Longstaff – Megginson ( Weston )
No comments:
Post a Comment