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STAYING ALIVE?

Dundee 3 Hibs 1 – Charlie Adam in TEARS as his stunner helps Dee get Premiership stay of execution


MARK MCGHEE switched off his heating in a bid to help save Dundee weeks ago. 

But his players refused to let the lights go out on their stay in the Premiership quite yet. 

Charlie Adam celebrates after his long range thunderbolt
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Charlie Adam celebrates after his long range thunderbolt
Mullligan nods in the second
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Mullligan nods in the second

Goals from Niall McGinn and Josh Mulligan, either side of James Scott’s strike for Hibs, put Dundee deservedly in front against a shocking Edinburgh outfit. 

And then Charlie Adam hammered home a thunderbolt with four minutes to go to give the supporters something to really cheer. 


The Verdict

Dundee: Sharp 7, Kerr 7, Sweeney 7, McGhee 7, Marshall 7, Mulligan 8, Anderson 7, Byrne 6 (Adam 61, 5), McMullan 6 (McCowan 61, 4), McGinn 7, Rudden 7 (Fontaine 90, 2). Subs: Welsh, McGowan, Chapman, Robertson, Daley-Campbell. 

Hibs: Macey 5, Clarke 6, Porteous 5 (Doyle-Hayes 74, 3), Bushiri 3, Doig 5, Stevenson 5, Campbell 5 (Melkerson 74, 3), McGinn 5, Newell 6, Henderson 5 (Jasper 61, 4), Scott 6. Subs: Dabrowski, McGregor, Hauge, Delferriere, Laidlaw, Aiken. 

Referee: Craig Napier 

Attendance: 5452 


This staved off immediate relegation here and put pressure back on St Johnstone, now three in front of them before facing Aberdeen tonight. 

Dundee could still go down tomorrow night if Callum Davidson’s men take a point against the Dons. 

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But if not, they’ll head into the final game, away to Livingston, hoping to win again and overcome a five-goal gap to their Tayside rivals.  

McGhee pulled a shock pre-match, benching Adam from the start for such a huge encounter. 

Paul Hanlon, Elias Melkerson and Jake Doyle-Hayes all dropped out for Hibs, replaced by Rocky Bushiri, Scott and Lewis Stevenson. 

Dundee started the evening knowing they needed something crazy to happen - and within three minutes they gave hope a chance. 

Hibs were slack at the back, allowing Zak Rudden the chance to wriggle free on the right-hand side of the penalty area before lashing a shot on target. 

Matt Macey got two hands to it and pushed it wide, but not far away enough as McGinn bolted in on the back left to blast a shot into the net from ten yards. 

It was the dream start for McGhee’s men, who have been waiting for ages for a break like they got with the keeper’s push. 

Hibs looked certain to peg them back on the ninth minute when Scott created space for himself inside the box before lashing an effort towards goal. 

But young keeper Harry Sharp, in for unwell Ian Lawlor, held his position well and was able to block with his legs. 

Hibs had another opening two minutes later, this time set up by a great Josh Doig cross from the left, but Harry Clarke’s attempted header came off his shoulder and squirmed wide. 

Clarke got in a great position again on the quarter-hour but saw his driven cross for Scott standing in the six-yard box blocked. 

Another chance came for Hibs on 25 minutes from a dead ball but Henderson’s free kick from 20 yards was easily held by Sharp. 

Mark McGhee finally celebrates his win
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Mark McGhee finally celebrates his win

The goal had been coming and duly arrived just before the half-hour. It was a goal all about power, with Scott brushing Jordan McGhee off the ball right on the stand-side touchline, before driving towards goal. 

Dundee’s back line were all at sea so they were left relying on Sharp, but the striker’s shot had too much power for him to get down quick enough to block. 

McGhee’s men thought they’d got back in front through Josh Mulligan just before the break, but his celebrations after a bullet header from McGinn’s free kick were short-lived as the offside flag flew up. 

Dundee screamed for a penalty kick on the hour as McGinn’s shot cracked Bushiri on the arm, but ref Craig Napier was satisfied the young Belgian did all he could to keep his limbs concealed. 

Josh Mulligan celebrates his goal for Dundee with Zak Rudden
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Josh Mulligan celebrates his goal for Dundee with Zak Rudden

The Dark Blues got back in front eventually, though, and this time there was no offside flag to deny Mulligan. 

Dundee broke forward with Marshall picking out sub Luke McCowan at the back post, allowing him to nod back for Mulligan to send into the net. 

They should have added a third through Rudden, who skilfully evaded his marker inside the box but somehow fired wide from twelve yards. 

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It was all Dundee now, bossing things against a Hibs side whose defence were all over the place at times. 

And Adam sent the home fans away believing that the miracle can happen by hammering in a 30-yard thunderbolt which gave Matt Macey no chance - and his boyhood heroes a sliver of one. 


The Managers

MARK MCGHEE last night insisted St Johnstone’s players will have plenty to ponder ahead of facing Aberdeen. 

The Dens Park boss finally got his first win with a deserved 3-1 victory over hapless Hibs. 

And while McGhee still expects it to be too little too late for a miracle relegation escape, he reckons the win turned up heat on Callum Davidson's men.  

He said: “It gives them a lot to think about. 

“Not only that but for us, we can look at this result tonight and think we have a chance at the weekend of winning as well.

 “If we lost tonight, then it’s all over, but it wouldn’t have given us as much hope going into Sunday. 

“But now, you look at it and think the chances are that we might get a result on Sunday. 

“They’ll feel that pressure as well but I don’t expect St Johnstone to take zero points from their final two games.

“Will I be at St Johnstone? No. We’ve got a youth game here in the afternoon, so I’ll watch that and then I’ll just relax.” 

McGhee has been adamant his side have been improving and reckons last night proved it. 

He said: “I’ve been talking about this incremental improvement and then we had the disaster at the weekend. I did say we felt as if the spirit was there.

 “They’d faced up to the reality of the situation a long time ago and it didn’t come as a shock that we were suddenly in relegation trouble and facing a game like this tonight.

 “I don’t think they played with more freedom. 

“I think we just got the right moments in the game. They could have scored another goal easily. 

“We had a goal disallowed. 

“I’ve watched it back it’s not offside. It’s onside. It’s a ridiculous decision.

“We could have had another goal, they could have had another goal. In the second half we squeezed it and got the goals at the right time.

“We went with a passing midfield on Saturday. We expected to pass the ball to victory but tonight we expected to run ourselves to victory.

“That was how it was. We weren’t going to keep the ball as well. We didn’t have the footballers of Charlie Adam or Paul McGowan.

“We knew we weren’t going to be a passing team tonight but we felt we needed that energy.” 


Hibs stand-in gaffer David Gray slammed his side, admitting they were miles off it. 

“We lacked quality at times. Taking responsibility is something we need to get better at.

“It’s a very disappointing evening.

 “It would be easy to use the managerial situation as an excuse.

 “Saying the season is finishing now or whatever. That’s never the case.

 “It’s professional football, you get paid to play and perform every time you pull on the jersey.

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 “I don’t think it’s a case of not trying. The players have been trying all season.

 “I think we’re a little thin at the moment and limited what we can do but that’s not an excuse.” 

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