The Dundee FC board’s gamble in sacking Jocky Scott in order to halt the first division leaders’ form slide fails to bring an immediate return.
Desperately needing a win over Queen of the South to keep their pursuers at arms length, the Dark Blues’ first match under Gordon Chisholm saw the new manager’s former club come from behind to force a draw, despite playing most of the evening a man down.
And with second-placed Inverness beating Airdrie United 4-0, the Dark Blues’ cushion at the top has been reduced to a point.
Gifted an early goal and with their opponents left short-handed, Dundee should have bagged the victory they required.
But the nervousness — amongst players and fans alike — that characterised the latter stages of Scott’s reign remained in evidence.
And, with buoyant fellow title hopefuls Ross County to be visited this weekend it is — as Sir Alex Ferguson once put it — squeaky bum time!
“It’s disappointing to go one up against ten men then not win it,” admitted Chisholm. “I told the players at half-time that we needed another goal but it didn’t come.
“At the start of the second half to be honest it seemed as if we were the 10 against 11.
“One or two of the players looked nervy. There’s a wee lack of confidence but we’ve got to be bigger than that if we want to win a league.”
The man who has taken over from Chisholm at Palmerston, at least until the end of the season, saluted his team’s performance.
“Our boys had to dig deep after going down to 10 men for 75 minutes,” said Kenny Brannigan.
“But they battled back well and deserve the point. I had to speak to the players after Chis left and they were aggrieved, saying the big man had left us when we still had a chance of going up.
“Dundee is a massive club but they’re not doing too well. It’s a gamble and I’m not sure if I was in his shoes I would have done the same.
“But he’s a top manager and I’m just surprised it has taken so long for someone to come in for him.”
The Dark Blues, without first-choice keeper Rab Douglas owing to achilles and knee injuries and concussion victim Gary MacKenzie, also benched Ben Hutchinson to allow the return from suspension of Leigh Griffiths.
And Griffiths it was who fired them in front on 16 minutes as Queens self-destructed.
The visitors had threatened to add to Dundee’s woes when Willie McLaren’s cross from the left would surely have been turned in by Derek Holmes had it not arrived in the six-yard box just a little behind him.
But the anxiety around Dens Park was eased when Griffiths intercepted Stephen McKenna’s poorly judged passback and had his progress halted by a tug from Marc McAusland. Referee Mike Tumilty could hardly do anything other than point to the spot, from where Griffiths notched his 20th goal of the season, and order off McAusland.
Tumilty was reaching for his cards again before the break after David Lilley went through Griffiths from the back and the Dundee striker picked himself off the deck and angrily shoved the former Aberdeen defender. The ref showed both players yellow.
Although the home side looked a little less tense after taking the lead they were by no means comfortably on top as short-handed Queens hinted on occasion that they were capable of snatching an equaliser.
Shortly before the break the Doonhamers could well have levelled when Holmes’ overhead kick played Paul Burns in. Bob Malcolm saved the day with a powerful challenge which ensured Burns’ finish failed to trouble Bullock.
But the equaliser was only delayed. Brian Kerr handled 35 yards out in a central position and up stepped Bob Harris to fire a wonderful free-kick over the wall and just inside Bullock’s left-hand upright.
On-loan Andrew Shinnie might have restored Dundee’s lead when he rose unchallenged to meet an Eddie Malone cross. But he couldn’t quite get enough on the ball to threaten David Hutton’s charge.
Long-distance efforts from Gary Harkins and substitute Richie Hart weren’t far off finding the target as the Dark Blues finally began to play with a sense of urgency.
However, as time began to run away from them, so the crowd became increasingly edgy.
And had substitute Sean O’Connor capitalised on an outstanding chance, edginess would have given way to anguish.
With Dundee pushing for a winner Burns broke down the right and dragged the ball back into the path of O’Connor. But he miscued his finish and it bounced wide.
Stoppage time saw drama at both ends.
First David Weatherston nearly snatched it for the visitors with an shot that Bullock managed to beat away then Harkins forced Hutton to save on the line before referee Tumilty stunned everyone by pointing to the penalty spot again only, after being surrounded by irate Queens players, to consult linesman James Bee and give a corner instead.
Chisholm commented, “To be honest I didn’t see the penalty incident, although I don’t know how a guy 30 yards away can overrule the man on the spot.”
But Brannigan hailed Bee’s intervention.
“When the ref gave the penalty at the end nobody could see what it was for,” he said.
“It was brave from the linesman and credit to him for standing up to be counted and making sure the right decision was made.”
In addition to red-carding McAusland and booking Griffiths and Lilley, Tumilty cautioned Dundee’s Malcolm and the Queens trio of McLaren, Harris and Jamie Adams.
Attendance: 4508.
Dundee: Bullock, Paton, Malone, Klimpl (Hart 69), McKeown, Malcolm, Shinnie (Hutchinson 79), Kerr, Griffiths, McMenamin (Higgins 62), Harkins. Subs not used: Soutar, Cameron.
Queen of the South: Hutton, McKenna, Lilley, Reid, Harris, McAusland, Holmes (O’Connor 67), Adams, Quinn (Weatherston 77), Burns, McLaren (Hamill 51). Subs not used: Fox, Scally.
Referee: Mike Tumilty.
Tumilty was reaching for his cards again before the break after David Lilley went through Griffiths from the back and the Dundee striker picked himself off the deck and angrily shoved the former Aberdeen defender. The ref showed both players yellow.
Although the home side looked a little less tense after taking the lead they were by no means comfortably on top as short-handed Queens hinted on occasion that they were capable of snatching an equaliser.
Shortly before the break the Doonhamers could well have levelled when Holmes’ overhead kick played Paul Burns in. Bob Malcolm saved the day with a powerful challenge which ensured Burns’ finish failed to trouble Bullock.
But the equaliser was only delayed. Brian Kerr handled 35 yards out in a central position and up stepped Bob Harris to fire a wonderful free-kick over the wall and just inside Bullock’s left-hand upright.
On-loan Andrew Shinnie might have restored Dundee’s lead when he rose unchallenged to meet an Eddie Malone cross. But he couldn’t quite get enough on the ball to threaten David Hutton’s charge.
Long-distance efforts from Gary Harkins and substitute Richie Hart weren’t far off finding the target as the Dark Blues finally began to play with a sense of urgency.
However, as time began to run away from them, so the crowd became increasingly edgy.
And had substitute Sean O’Connor capitalised on an outstanding chance, edginess would have given way to anguish.
With Dundee pushing for a winner Burns broke down the right and dragged the ball back into the path of O’Connor. But he miscued his finish and it bounced wide.
Stoppage time saw drama at both ends.
First David Weatherston nearly snatched it for the visitors with an shot that Bullock managed to beat away then Harkins forced Hutton to save on the line before referee Tumilty stunned everyone by pointing to the penalty spot again only, after being surrounded by irate Queens players, to consult linesman James Bee and give a corner instead.
Chisholm commented, “To be honest I didn’t see the penalty incident, although I don’t know how a guy 30 yards away can overrule the man on the spot.”
But Brannigan hailed Bee’s intervention.
“When the ref gave the penalty at the end nobody could see what it was for,” he said.
“It was brave from the linesman and credit to him for standing up to be counted and making sure the right decision was made.”
In addition to red-carding McAusland and booking Griffiths and Lilley, Tumilty cautioned Dundee’s Malcolm and the Queens trio of McLaren, Harris and Jamie Adams.
Attendance: 4508.
Dundee: Bullock, Paton, Malone, Klimpl (Hart 69), McKeown, Malcolm, Shinnie (Hutchinson 79), Kerr, Griffiths, McMenamin (Higgins 62), Harkins. Subs not used: Soutar, Cameron.
Queen of the South: Hutton, McKenna, Lilley, Reid, Harris, McAusland, Holmes (O’Connor 67), Adams, Quinn (Weatherston 77), Burns, McLaren (Hamill 51). Subs not used: Fox, Scally.
Referee: Mike Tumilty.
Tumilty was reaching for his cards again before the break after David Lilley went through Griffiths from the back and the Dundee striker picked himself off the deck and angrily shoved the former Aberdeen defender. The ref showed both players yellow.
Although the home side looked a little less tense after taking the lead they were by no means comfortably on top as short-handed Queens hinted on occasion that they were capable of snatching an equaliser.
Shortly before the break the Doonhamers could well have levelled when Holmes’ overhead kick played Paul Burns in. Bob Malcolm saved the day with a powerful challenge which ensured Burns’ finish failed to trouble Bullock.
But the equaliser was only delayed. Brian Kerr handled 35 yards out in a central position and up stepped Bob Harris to fire a wonderful free-kick over the wall and just inside Bullock’s left-hand upright.
On-loan Andrew Shinnie might have restored Dundee’s lead when he rose unchallenged to meet an Eddie Malone cross. But he couldn’t quite get enough on the ball to threaten David Hutton’s charge.
Long-distance efforts from Gary Harkins and substitute Richie Hart weren’t far off finding the target as the Dark Blues finally began to play with a sense of urgency.
However, as time began to run away from them, so the crowd became increasingly edgy.
And had substitute Sean O’Connor capitalised on an outstanding chance, edginess would have given way to anguish.
With Dundee pushing for a winner Burns broke down the right and dragged the ball back into the path of O’Connor. But he miscued his finish and it bounced wide.
Stoppage time saw drama at both ends.
First David Weatherston nearly snatched it for the visitors with an shot that Bullock managed to beat away then Harkins forced Hutton to save on the line before referee Tumilty stunned everyone by pointing to the penalty spot again only, after being surrounded by irate Queens players, to consult linesman James Bee and give a corner instead.
Chisholm commented, “To be honest I didn’t see the penalty incident, although I don’t know how a guy 30 yards away can overrule the man on the spot.”
But Brannigan hailed Bee’s intervention.
“When the ref gave the penalty at the end nobody could see what it was for,” he said.
“It was brave from the linesman and credit to him for standing up to be counted and making sure the right decision was made.”
In addition to red-carding McAusland and booking Griffiths and Lilley, Tumilty cautioned Dundee’s Malcolm and the Queens trio of McLaren, Harris and Jamie Adams.
Attendance: 4508.
Dundee: Bullock, Paton, Malone, Klimpl (Hart 69), McKeown, Malcolm, Shinnie (Hutchinson 79), Kerr, Griffiths, McMenamin (Higgins 62), Harkins. Subs not used: Soutar, Cameron.
Queen of the South: Hutton, McKenna, Lilley, Reid, Harris, McAusland, Holmes (O’Connor 67), Adams, Quinn (Weatherston 77), Burns, McLaren (Hamill 51). Subs not used: Fox, Scally.
Referee: Mike Tumilty.