Gary Bowyer says Dundee’s struggle to take Saturday’s game away from Inverness despite their dominance reminded him of a saying by his former manager Brian Clough.
The Dark Blues were on top for much of the contest in the Highlands but only had one goal to show for their efforts before being pegged back by Caley Thistle with 15 minutes to go.
Letting chances slip by or not making the right decision at key moments in attack has been a theme throughout this campaign.
But Bowyer was pleased with the overall performance for the first three quarters of the match as they took game to their hosts. Just not in front of goal.
Chances for Alex Jakubiak and Luke Hannant went begging before Lyall Cameron scored his remarkable backheel to give Dundee the lead.
“At the time it was disappointment but looking back on the way we played I think it was one of the best performances we’ve had in a while in terms of how we moved the ball,” the Dundee boss said.
“The work we had done in midweek was all taking shape on the pitch bar the last bit in front of goal.
“But once you’re not in the position your play deserves and are only one goal to the good, there’s always a chance of your opponent coming back into the game.
“We were the dominant team for large periods and that opinion hasn’t changed.
“The areas we got into, we just didn’t work the goalkeeper nearly enough.
“We wanted the win but I am pleased with the performance and the way we went about it.”
What Brian Clough taught Gary Bowyer about winning…
However, the inability to convert that into a dominant lead brought to mind a phrase often said by his former manager Clough, who also managed Bowyer’s father Ian to two European Cups with Nottingham Forest.
Bowyer Jnr joined Forest in 1990, three years after his father had finished his second spell at the City Ground.
But the Dundee boss admits he doesn’t have to look too far back to see proof his side can be clinical when they need to be.
He added: “One thing a famous manager who I was lucky to play for and my dad played for for years in Brian Clough always said was “the hardest part of the game was putting the ball in the back of the net”.
“That’s why strikers get paid the big money and that’s the bit we were missing on Saturday.
“We know that is within our squad, though. The amount of times we’ve scored three goals tells that, as does the seven we scored against Hamilton.
“We know it is there.”
‘Clarity’
The draw levels Dundee one point ahead of Queen’s Park with just two matches remaining, leaving a straight shootout between the top two for the title.
And that pair face each on the final day at Ochilview. But Bowyer won’t let his side think beyond Friday night’s assignment against bottom-side Cove Rangers.
His mantra is unchanged, as Bowyer explains: “Our approach hasn’t changed, going right back to that very first meeting at Gardyne before we played Peterhead in a friendly in pre-season and we set out how we work.
“Concentrate on the things you can control like your performance and training in the lead up to the game.
“There will be nothing different this week. We approach game 35 like we did game 34, like we did game No 1. The same goes for game 36 and then whenever the next game may be.
“It provides clarity to the players and they can concentrate only on performing on the day.”
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