Dundee’s 2021/22 season had a dark ending but there were some moments of light sprinkled throughout the campaign.
Though they didn’t score nearly as many goals as they needed and relegation was the end result, some of the strikes were absolutely top class.
Despite there not being a huge number to choose from, it was tricky to narrow down the top picks across the season.
Not making the cut was a superb team goal to kick off the league campaign – Max Anderson to Jordan Marshall for Jason Cummings to finish against St Mirren.
Neither did Paul McMullan’s volley against Brora Rangers, nor Danny Mullen’s tidy finish to see off St Johnstone.
Niall McGinn and Josh Mulligan both scored tasty efforts at Peterhead but fell short, while Luke McCowan’s excellent volley at Ross County was desperately unlucky to be edged out.
So who makes the top three?
3 – Charlie Adam v Dundee United
Dundee’s recent record in derbies has not been good. And it looked like that would continue as Mark McGhee’s men trailed 2-0 to their rivals from across the road.
Mullen, though, cut the deficit before skipper Adam found space in the middle of the park.
Come April, Adam hadn’t found the net in the Premiership all season.
But it was worth waiting for as he unleashed a fierce swerving effort that completely bamboozled Benjamin Siegrist in the home goal.
The ball flew into the corner to cue jubilant celebrations in the away end. There was no win, however, for the Dees to cheer come full-time, as happened too often throughout the campaign.
2 – Leigh Griffiths v Aberdeen
Griffiths was the big summer signing for James McPake – and no wonder with his ability in front of goal.
However, the move did not work out and he left the club in January.
There were some flashes of the natural ability possessed by the former Scotland star, this free-kick at Aberdeen chief among them.
It would be a last league goal for Griffiths in the dark blue of Dundee but it must rank right towards the top of the 36 he managed across two spells in all competitions.
The Dark Blues had been laid low with Covid in the run-up to this trip to Pittodrie, naming 40-year-old assistant manager Dave Mackay on the bench as well as two goalkeepers.
It was all hands to the pump and, remarkably, Dundee took the lead with an absolute wonder strike from Griffiths, who pinged an unstoppable free-kick into the top corner from 35 yards.
Not many could beat that.
1 – Charlie Adam v Hibs
A first victory in charge for Mark McGhee came too late to save Dundee’s season.
But it was still a fitting way for captain Adam to say farewell to the Dens Park crowd.
Coming on as a second-half sub, the former Liverpool and Stoke man knew it was likely his last home appearance for his boyhood club.
And he sent the fans home with something to remember him by, smashing a thunderous effort beyond the goalkeeper from 25 yards.
It was a wonderful way to cap a good night for the Dark Blues, an evening filled with emotion for the departing skipper.
There is only one winner if you are asking for Dundee’s Goal of the Season.
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