Dundee made it 11 points from the last 15 available in the Championship after defeating Hamilton Accies.
The 1-0 victory at Dens Park was by no means a performance for the ages.
But it brought a third straight victory and a second clean sheet on the bounce.
And Paul McMullan’s 57th-minute winner also moved the Dark Blues to within a point of Championship leaders Ayr United.
With a break coming up for Scottish Cup ties, Dundee’s title tilt is building nicely.
But what can we take from their 14th win of the season?
Patience
Dundee have proved in the last two outings that patience from the stands will be rewarded.
In fact, not since McMullan’s screamer against Ayr United have the Dark Blues scored a goal before half-time.
That was seven matches ago.
Take out the Rangers cup loss and that run has seen six Championship matches undefeated.
This episode of that series was probably the most painful for a watching Dundee crowd.
Lacking fluidity and quality in the final third, the contest required a real grind in classic Championship style.
Hamilton were so close to equalising through Reegan Mimnaugh’s effort that somehow hit all three pieces of the goal frame.
But Dundee are getting the luck their hard work deserves right now.
And looking like proper title contenders in the process.
Injuries
What might trip them up, however, is how bad their current injury plight becomes.
Losing Zach Robinson for anything more than the upcoming Scottish Cup tie next week would be a huge blow for the Dark Blues.
Zak Rudden performed in his absence in the second half against Accies and more of that will be welcome going forward.
Good morning 👌 #thedee pic.twitter.com/ljp4WW4rAD
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) November 20, 2022
But Robinson’s hold-up play added to goals has brought this Dundee side on leaps and bounds in recent weeks.
And the likes of Cillian Sheridan and Derick Osei didn’t show any signs of being able to fill the void left by an absence for Robinson.
Then you add in Paul McGowan, Jordan Marshall, Max Anderson, Joe Grayson and possibly Ben Williamson and Tyler French and you are closing in on an injury crisis.
Dundee had two goalkeepers on the bench on Saturday, frustratingly that position may be the only one with options for manager Gary Bowyer in the next couple of weeks.
Clean sheet
That’s now 234 minutes since Dundee last conceded a goal.
A slice of luck was needed at times as was some quality goalkeeping from Ian Lawlor in the home net as well as some brave defending.
Subscribers can watch a full match replay, highlights and a post match interview with Gary Bowyer now on DeeTV #thedee
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— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) November 19, 2022
But the shut-out was another welcome step for a side really coming into its own.
Keep out the opposition means you only have to get it right once at the other end.
This was a classic case of doing just that.
And it’s a promising sign for a team with designs on promotion – winning when you’re not close to your best is a trait shown by all the best sides.
Form is building for Gary Bowyer’s Dundee.
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