By Dundeefc.net
April 24 2002

SAT 4TH MARCH

Kilmarnock 2 (Durrant 10 Dindeleux 65)
DUNDEE 2(Annand 75 Grady 82)

Att:8,500

Douglas Sharp, Wilkie, Tweed, Smith Rae, Boyack, Robertson Grady, Bayne, Falconer

Subs:
Annand(for Bayne) van Eijs, Maddison, Langfield, Raeside

Jocky Scott refused to call his introduction of Eddie Annand for Graham Bayne in 74 minutes an 'Inspired bit of management' when it was suggested to him in the press room afterwards, but it changed a game which had rarely looked as if it would bring any reward for Dundee up to that point.

Kilmarnock had dominated most of the previous hour and although Dundee had made a bright start the Dark Blues had never looked really dangerous.

Killie's goals showed that the poor defending of the previous week hadn't been totally eradicated with nobody picking up Durrant's run from midfield in ten minutes, allowing the midfielder time to pick his spot from the edge of the box after Holt had played him in. Only a magical save from Douglas ten minutes before half time kept the margin at one when he did wonderfully well to reach Abou's postage stamp corner free kick and even better to hold it.

The margin was doubled midway through the second half when a corner wasn't cleared and Dindeleux flicked home from 12 yards.

Four minutes later Dundee looked dead and buried as Abou slid a ball through to Durrant but as the Scotland international picked his spot the ball bobbled on a surface which resembled 'Tattie Soup' (copyright The Sporting Post) and Sharp got in a challenge to clear.

Young Graham Bayne had looked useful without getting into threatening positions and was replaced by Annand as Jocky threw the dice and it paid off big time with a goal which dragged Dundee back into the match - Eddie had been on the park less than thirty seconds when he was picked out by Willie Falconer and placed his shot into the corner of the Killie net.

Dundee had looked exhausted up to this point after a week which had seen the club battered both on the park and in the media but there was an instant lifting of spirits and the players all began to look as if they thought they could salvage at least a point.

As the game went into the last ten minutes The Dee exerted some concentrated pressure for the first time in the match with the ball camped around the Killie box, Several times it looked as if the moves would break down but Dundee always just about managed to keep the ball moving. In the end it need someone to take a risk and that's exactly what Gavin Rae did when he clipped the ball over the defence and hared after it. Once in the box the Killie defence didn't dare challenge him, but he only just got to the ball before it went out for a goal kick, his cross finding Grady who netted with a diving header for his second goal of the week.

It took a few minutes to dawn that we now had an extremely exciting game on our hands and the home side piled on the pressure with a Durrant piledriver inches away. The closest thing to a goal though was a breakaway forged by Annand and Falconer which went almost the length of the park and ended with Eddie getting on the end of Willie's cross only to see Marshall pull off a great block with his legs.