DUNDEE’S litany of draws, defeats, let-downs and disasters against Inverness Caley Thistle continued yesterday, with a deservedly emphatic defeat at arguably their least favourite venue.
It was the sixth league game without a win and a ninth failed attempt to triumph at a stadium where they’ve never won.
Paul Hartley, the Dundee manager, had been savage in his condemnation of the negativity of social media and celebrity punditry as prelude to this latest setback in Inverness. It can only have worsened last night.
Of more pressing concern is that run of league games without victory since the opening-day win in Dingwall. In contrast, Inverness leapt a place above their opponents into eighth position.
There could be little positivity taken from the away team’s performance and, to his credit, Hartley didn’t attempt to after a headed finish from Lonsana Doumbouya, a Greg Tansey penalty and a neat Liam Polworth strike continued the Highlanders’ stirring league recovery.
“The performance wasn’t good enough and I’ll accept criticism in terms of this,” Hartley said. “Too many of them had a bad day at the office.”
Nicky Low’s fine free-kick late on only slightly tainted the afternoon’s work for the hosts but Richie Foran, wary of testing times ahead, is keen for further improvement after drawing with Aberdeen and champions Celtic.
“We can pass the ball a bit better and there’s a lot more to come from us, but it’s pleasing,” the Irishman said. “We scored goals at the right time, early in the first and second halves.
“The back four, along with Owain Fon Williams, were colossal. Hopefully our bad spell is out the way. There was no panic after the poor start. It never affected us mentally and we’ve got the results recently.”
Early Inverness forays set the tone, and the breakthrough came after eight minutes.
Brad McKay’s superb angled cross from deep right held a decent amount of pace for Doumbouya to lift a header high past keeper Scott Bain from 12 yards for his first club goal.
There was then confusion as Inverness doubled the lead from the penalty spot after 17 minutes.
Julen Etxabeguren seemed to knock Billy King to the ground inside the left of the penalty box, but there were no home appeals.
Tansey at least brought some clarity to it all by rocketing a brilliant spot-kick high past Bain.
From there, Dundee edged back into the contest for a spell with home keeper Williams pulling off good saves from Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Cammy Kerr.
Dundee’s hopes died after 51 minutes, with Caley Thistle grasping the vital third.
The ball squirmed out from Ross Draper’s challenge in midfield on Paul McGowan and spun into the path of McKay, who drove forward and then fed Polworth.
Polworth, with great calm and assurance, prodded the ball low past Bain from 10 yards.
Low’s 25-yard free-kick with six minutes left was a stunning strike, but a mere consolation.
While confusion had reigned at the penalty award, Hartley seemed resigned to it.
“I don’t think we have to make the challenge in the first place, although I didn’t think it was a bad one,” Hartley said. “But we have to do better in the defending side. Was it a penalty? I’m not sure.”
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