By Dundeefc.net
April 24 2002

SAT 25TH MARCH

St Johnstone 2 (Bollan 45 Miller 90)
DUNDEE 1(Falconer )

Att:4,655

Douglas Maddison, Ireland, Tweed, Smith Rae, Boyack, Robertson Grady, Annand, Falconer

Subs:
Luna(for Grady) Bayne, Maddison, Langfield, Miller

Dundee had Lee Maddison in the starting line up for the injured Artero and Eddie Annand also came in as the Dees went with the 4-3-3 formation which had turned the game in midweek.

Early on it looked as if the move would bring a dividend as Dundee totally dominated the first quarter of an hour with some lovely passing and good work throughout the team, but as time wore on the game and Dundee's performance got scrappy with St Johnstone beginning to cause occasional problems as they capitalised on some poor passing by the Dark Blues.

If you don't play well then you generally get beaten at this level, but Dundee looked like getting a point against a St Johnstone side which relied to a large extent on a physical approach, until the last last seconds of the match when an eighteen yard bullet, which went in of the bar, gave St Johnstone's Marc Miller a dream debut and gave Dundee a taste of how Hibs had felt in midweek.

Dundee had also lost a goal in the dying seconds of the first half and Jocky Scott will have been raging at the circumstances in which both goals were lost.

Dundee gave away possession on each occasion and although Bollan's strike was even more spectacular than Miller's they could both have been prevented.

At least Dundee had time to come back from Bollan's goal and took only three minutes of play at the start of the second half to get back on level terms when Boyack, Rae and Grady combined for the latter to cross for Falconer to take a touch and then net from close range.

This should have been the signal for Dundee to go on and win the match but if truth be told the home side were the ones who lifted their game from this point onward.

The extra man in midfield told at times as Saints created a couple of good chances, Steven Tweed doing superbly well to block a close range effort from McMahon midway through the half.

The introduction of Francisco Luna for his dark Blue debut brought a mixed reaction from the support who were dismayed to see Grady taken off after perhaps his best performance of the season, but the Spanish striker soon had the fans on his side as he came close with a header from Boyack's free kick.
Luna showed some nice touches and an appetite for the ball which augers well for the future as Dundee gained a series of free kicks and corners but they couldn't trouble the keeper.