Wins in these two East End Park encounters would have seen the Pars sitting on top of the division but they are going to have to find the finishing touch to add to some fine outfield play if they are to mount a real challenge.

Pars boss Jim McIntyre was able to field the same team for the fourth game in a row and only Simon Wiles of the injured midweek trio was missing.

Opposite number Scott made only one change, Eric Paton returning in place of Eddie Mearns, with 16-year-old Kyle Benedictus keeping his place at the heart of the defence.

The visitors produced the first drama of the afternoon after only two minutes when Bryan Deasley broke through and teed the ball up for David O’Brien, whose netbound shot was blocked by a home defender.

But it was the home side who hit woodwork twice, Stephen Glass hitting the bar and Calum Woods seeing his shot come back off the post.

Andy Kirk and partner Graham Bayne weren’t getting much change out of Benedictus and Craig McKeown in the Dundee rearguard, but Kirk did pass up the home side’s best chance of the game on 63 minutes.

Credit, though, has to go to Dundee keeper Rab Douglas for a wonderful save, diving to his left to keep out the striker’s 22-yard effort.

It was to prove costly for the Pars because, five minutes later, the visitors grabbed the winner when Deasley sent Mickael Antoine-Curier through on goal and the big striker finished off the job by driving the ball past Pars keeper Paul Gallacher.

Kirk rued the missed chance but is still confident he’s the man to fire the Fifers up the table.

“There’s not a week goes by when I don’t think I’m going to score,” he said. “If I get the chances I’ll score goals but sometimes you go on runs where you don’t get chances.

“In the last three games that’s maybe the first shot I’ve had on target and the keeper’s had to save.

“Goals are coming from different players but it’s frustrating when you’re a forward and chances aren’t coming.”

Kirk also admitted that perhaps the midweek win at the Excelsior Stadium, in which the Fifers scored three times, had glossed over their deficiencies.

“We probably played worse on Tuesday night and ended up scoring three good goals and winning the game, and sometimes that hides the things that are maybe wrong,” said the Northern Ireland forward.

“We haven’t been creating, so maybe that’s what’s wrong.

“We need to pinpoint what the problems are and start working hard in training trying to put it right because we need to start getting results again.”

He went on, “We’ve been on a good run of late but we were brought down to earth today.

“It’s a hard result to take but we’ve got to forget about it quickly and come in on Monday, have a look at the video and get it out of our minds and start working towards the next game.

“We were trying to make our home a bit of a fortress but it’s tailed off the last two games and we’re very, very disappointed with the results.”

However, the striker is still confident the Pars’ challenge hasn’t petered out.

“If we can put a run together of three or four wins there’s no reason why we can’t be thereabouts,” he added.

“We’ve proved we can be up there and we’ve just got to start doing the things that brought us success at the start of the season.

“I don’t think there’s one team that’s outplayed us. Having played all the teams I don’t think we’ve anything to fear.”

East End Park manager McIntyre was as disappointed as his players with the dropping of three home points.

“I thought we controlled the first half and had two really good efforts but unfortunately we never took them,” he said. “Second half we just didn’t play.

“The bottom line is that for most of the day our final ball and choice of pass was just the wrong option. When we did get into good areas we didn’t deliver.”

“You have to credit Dundee as well, I thought they worked really hard.

“I thought if we got the first goal then we would have gone on to win the game but they got it.”

Scott was naturally delighted with his first three points on returning to management.

“It was a fantastic result,” he said. “We got great effort from the boys—they worked really, really hard.