Goalkeepers were on top at Dens Park as Dundee were held to a goal-less draw by Ross County.
The only Premiership match of the week was a chance for both sides to jump up the table but neither was able to take it.
Trevor Carson excelled in the first half while Ross Laidlaw denied Dundee substitutes Diego Pineda and Charlie Reilly late on with the offside flag denying what County thought was the opener on 63 minutes.
Despite having to wait more than three weeks for a game, Dundee looked sharp in the opening stages.
However, it was the visitors who fashioned the first big chance, seizing on a turnover to set Simon Murray away but the ex-Dee found Carson in the way.
Carson again kept it goal-less when he pawed a Brown header out as County threatened.
County did have the ball in the net on 63 minutes when Brown bundled the ball into the net but the offside flag went up and a lengthy, lengthy VAR decision finally agreed.
Substitute Pineda had three sights of goal late on, bringing two saves from Laidlaw with low efforts from wide.
And Reilly was denied with almost the last kick of the game.
It was, though, a night where neither keeper was going to be beaten.
Trevor Carson
In signing the experienced keeper in the summer, manager Tony Docherty said Carson would save his team points this season.
And Carson was true to that in this one, coming up with big saves in the first half.
The first one denied former Dee Murray as he scampered through on goal. It should really have been 1-0 and the striker will be disappointed with the finish but credit must go to Carson for the save.
And a second denied Brown on the half-hour mark. The header wasn’t the firmest but it was heading into the net before the goalie palmed it off the line.
The second half, though, brought a couple of shaky moments for Carson – first he tried to control what he thought might be construed a back-pass and from the resulting corner came flying out but was nowhere near the cross.
Then the disallowed County goal on 63 minutes saw the ball basically bounce off the goalie, though the offside Jordan White was found to have got in his eyeline.
Antonio Portales
Dundee fans haven’t had the opportunity to see exactly what Mexican defender Portales could bring when he’s up to speed.
Injury denied him that in the early stages of the season but his performance in this one showed promise.
Strong in the tackle and tidy with the ball at his feet, Portales progressed the ball well at times out of defence.
Very encouraging.
Options
After a disappointing first half in terms of creating chances, the temptation is to look at the bench to see who might come on to change that.
However, Tony Docherty’s attacking options were limited with four players out of action.
Dundee have decent depth when everyone is fit but when Scott Tiffoney, Zach Robinson, Josh Mulligan and Lyall Cameron aren’t there to call upon, that depth is stretched.
On the bench were Pineda, Reilly and Marcel Lewis – between them they’d played six minutes of Premiership football prior to this clash.
That changed as Pineda made his league bow for the final 14 minutes and looked very bright, bringing two saves from Laidlaw and Reilly, too, was denied late on.
Docherty said Robinson was back in training while Mulligan’s suspension will be over come Saturday.
More options in the shape of those two would be welcome for another big game at the weekend.
Player ratings
Dundee: Carson 7, Portales 7, Shaughnessy 6, Lamie 6, McGhee 6 (Howley 77), Beck 7, Boateng 6, Robertson 7 (Reilly 89), McCowan 7, Rudden 6 (Pineda 77), Bakayoko 6.
Subs not used: Legzdins, Kerr, Ashcroft, Donnelly, Sylla, Lewis.
Ross County: Laidlaw, Randall, Purrington (Harmon 76), Brown, Baldwin, Dhanda (Brophy 76), Loturi, Murray (Sims 60), White (Samuel 83), Smith, Leak.
Subs not used: Munro, Allardice, Turner, Sheaf.
Referee: Colin Steven
Attendance: 4,887 (113 away)
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