Dundee 0-1 Partick: Match Report

01 March 2017 10:34

Partick end Dundee's four-month unbeaten home record

Partick Thistle ended Dundee's impressive four-month unbeaten home record with a 1-0 win in the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership clash at Dens Park.

Alan Archibald's side won thanks to Julen Etxabeguren's 29th minute own goal which was enough to separate the sides on Tayside.

Partick were the last team to win at Dens Park on October 26 and did the same again as they held on against Paul Hartley's team.

Fresh from their 5-1 hammering of Motherwell, Dundee were buoyed by the presence of midfielder Mark O'Hara who's managed to shake off a slight ankle knock.

Partick arrived on Tayside having won three games on the bounce and made only one change from the side which defeated 10-man Hearts 2-0 at Firhill, with Christie Elliott coming in for Mustapha Dumbuya.

Thistle's win at Dens the last time left the Taysiders three points adrift at the foot of the table.

Their intention were clearly to do something similar again and, with10 minutes gone, Callum Booth crossed for Chris Erskine.

The former Dundee United player shot straight into the arms of home keeper Scott Bain from 12 yards.

Eight minutes later, Ryan Edwards had a decent chance to break the deadlock with a volley from Elliott's cross, but it flashed past the post when he had more time than he maybe thought to pick his spot inside the box.

Dundee had enjoyed a whirlwind start against Motherwell just a few days earlier but struggled to get going here, although Estonian international Henrik Ojamaa did inject some life into their play midway through the first half, driving forward and hitting a firm low shot pat Tomas Cerny's near post.

But with 29 minutes gone in the game Thistle took a deserved lead.

Kris Doolan showed his tenacity as he ran clear of a static defence and out-muscled Dundee skipper Darren O'Dea on the touchline, before cutting back for Edwards who had darted into the box in the hope of latching onto a cross.

However, it was ultimately Etxabeguren who had the misfortune of knocking the ball past Bain from a matter of yards to send the away fans into raptures behind the goal.

Thistle, to their credit, remained on top after the interval and Doolan's header from Edwards' cross went well wide of Bain's goal.

The home team's reply saw Kevin Holt set up James Vincent whose 22-yard effort was parried by Cerny, before the visitors scrambled clear.

However, the pattern stayed the same with Partick posing a much greater threat.

With just over an hour gone Elliot worked some magic out wide before setting up Doolan whose left-foot effort was smothered by Bain.

Things got worse for the home side midway through the second half when Etxabeguren was stretchered off having fallen awkwardly, before Doolan's 80th minute close-range effort was ruled out for offside after Abdul Osman had squared for him inside the box.

Dundee, anxious to preserve their impressive record, did threaten eight minutes from time when O'Dea's downward header went past the post from Paul McGowan's lofted cross as they pushed desperately for an equaliser.


Source: PA