Dundee

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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For large parts of the game it was Motherwell who drove forward in swathes, yet it was Dundee who danced off the pitch, soaked to the skin but jubilant.

After creeping into the top six last season at the first attempt following promotion from the Championship, they're now up to fifth and were applauded into the dressing room by the fans.

While the Dens Park side often fly under the radar, that won't be the case for Cameron much longer. He has filled the hole that Luke McCowan left in midfield, becoming Docherty's most important player.

Although they didn't create nearly the number of chances that Motherwell did, they looked clinical and comfortable in front of goal while McCracken - with the exception of Motherwell's goal - made a few fine saves.

That's also the first time they've won three Premiership home games consecutively since 2002 - under Ivano Bonetti. Incredible.

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Lyall Cameron. Five goals in five games against Motherwell for Dundee's new talisman.

He's stepped into Luke McCowan's shoes comfortably, taking his chances well and creating a couple more. Incredibly composed on the ball and with an eye for a pass as well as a goal, big clubs will come chasing soon.

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty says his side drawing rivals Dundee United in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup is "brilliant for the city".

The sides will meet at Dens Park on the weekend of 18-19 January, and Docherty says there has been a "buzz" among the Dundee squad ever since the draw.

"Brilliant," Docherty said. "Thrilled and excited when it came out.

"I think it's brilliant for both clubs. I think it's brilliant for the city.

"And that's us guaranteed at least four derbies this year that we never had last year.

"So I think it's absolutely tie of the round and we'll very much look forward to that. There's a buzz about the place.

"Listen, you would prefer that you play them in the final, or the semi-final, but you play them when you play them. And it's a brilliant fixture, as I say, for the city, for both clubs."

Docherty was keen to stress his immediate focus remains on the league, with Motherwell visiting Dens in Scottish Premiership action on Wednesday.

A win would take Dundee into the top six and Docherty wants to build on recent home wins.

"I need to stress that [cup match] is nine game away, so we'll deal with that when it comes round. Your most important game is your next one, which is Motherwell at home tomorrow night.

"Our sole motivation is putting on a level of performance tomorrow night to give us the best opportunity to beat Motherwell at home.

"We've won our last two home games which I'm really pleased about.

"The fans have been so important in that so of course, that's a tangible reward (top six) if we win the game tomorrow night."

Lyall Cameron has scored in three of his four Scottish Premiership appearances against Motherwell, including Dundee's winner at Fir Park in October.

The 22-year-old midfielder was also on target in Saturday's draw at Kilmarnock, while he has four assists in the league, having taken on more creative responsibility in the wake of Luke McCowan's departure.

While tackling and pressing may not be his strong suit, he is a real attacking threat and, with his contract up at the end of the season, may soon follow McCowan to a richer club.

"Lyall has got that composure in the final third," said manager Tony Docherty at Rugby Park. "He takes a breath and makes the right decision more often than not."

Dundee are aiming for three home wins in a row in the top flight for the first time since 2002 but Motherwell have form at Dens Park, winning five and losing just one of their past seven league visits.

Read all tonight's Premiership picks

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The festive fixture schedule has certainly not been kind to Dundee. Three of their next five games are on the road - and tough ones too - at Hearts, Rangers and St Mirren.

After last weekend's draw at Kilmarnock, manager Tony Docherty spoke of continuing to try and pick up points on their travels, while trying to make sure they really capitalise on home advantage on the occasions they are strutting their stuff in front of the Dens Park faithful.

This all highlights the importance of making home advantage count - they haven't done that enough this season. In fact, Docherty's team have only won three of the seven league fixtures they have played in the city of discovery, losing a trio of those encounters.

But there is every reason to believe they can sort that out; there are perhaps early signs they already have. They have won their last two games at Dens Park, against Hibs and Kilmarnock, scoring seven goals in the process.

One swallow doesn't make a summer, but they have the chance to further enhance their home stats when Motherwell come calling on Wednesday. And this is a big one for Dundee - if they win they will find themselves back in the top six, and level on points with the Steelmen - a nice place to be before they hit the road again in the coming weeks.

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Curtis Main and Trevor Carson (both) have returned to Dundee training. Clark Robertson (thigh), Ziyad Larkeche (hamstring) and Scott Fraser (groin) remain out along with long-term absentee Joe Shaughnessy (knee).

Motherwell striker Zach Robinson is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles suffered in training on Tuesday.

Jair Tavares returns after missing the defeat against parent club Hibernian. The Steelmen remain without Tom Sparrow (ankle), Stephen O'Donnell, Ross Callachan (both hamstring), Paul McGinn (thigh), Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (both knee) and Jack Vale (calf).

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• After their 1-0 win in October, Dundee could earn successive league victories over Motherwell for the first time since April 2017 (three in a row).

• Motherwell have won five and lost just one of their last seven league away games against Dundee (D1), winning their last such trip 3-2 in April last season.

• Dundee have won both of their last two home games in the Scottish Premiership, last winning three in a row in the top-flight on home turf in April 2002 under Ivano Bonetti which included a 2-0 victory over Motherwell.

• Since drawing four successive away games in the Scottish Premiership from December 2023 to February 2024, none of Motherwell's last 13 on the road in the league have finished level (W7 L6).

• Lyall Cameron has scored in three of his four Scottish Premiership appearances against Motherwell (three goals), including Dundee's winner in October (1-0).

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

The 'Del Classico' at the weekend didn’t live up to the drama that previous encounters with Kilmarnock brought, but it did have plenty of highlights nonetheless.

Dundee started strongly in the opening 15 minutes but failed to capitalise on the opportunities created. After an initial burst, Kilmarnock took control, turning the game into a gritty, long-ball battle - a classic winter Scottish football clash.

We have Jon McCracken to thank for the point gained with two heroic saves. In both instances our defence was caught being far too casual but McCracken was completely alert to the danger. If he can successfully rebuild his confidence, the starting spot will be his to keep.

Oluwaseun Adewumi made a great impact off the bench to set up the goal - any threat we carried in the second half came through him.

Lyall Cameron's finish was absolutely sublime, he couldn't have dispatched it any better, and already he's matched his goalscoring tally from last season. According to Fotmob, he has created the most chances in the league this season with 31 - he is one of the most influential players in the division.

Bobby Wales changed the game for Killie and almost single-handedly won the match for them. The youngster was very impressive and could be a key player for Killie in the near future.

I have to be pleased with a point as I felt we didn't deserve anything from that game. However, Rugby Park is notoriously a tough place to go - even the Old Firm struggle down there so staying unbeaten is important to keep our momentum going into the December fixtures.

A win midweek against Motherwell could see us hop to fifth place in the league which would set us up perfectly for travelling to the capital on Saturday to take on struggling Hearts.

The Scottish Cup draw has also ensured that we will be hosting the best tie of the round with a Dundee Derby at Dens Park. We still have to wait a month until we play them in the league prior to the cup tie but the derby fever is fermenting between both fan bases and I personally can't wait for it!

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Dundee will face Dundee United at Dens Park in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

The tie will take place on the weekend of 18-19 January.

Lyall Cameron, 22, is confident Dundee's form has turned a corner. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

We asked for your views on Dundee's draw at Kilmarnock.

Here's what some of you said:

Anon: It is becoming a feature of our play that we can’t take advantage by scoring when we are on top in a game. We have to sort that out, along with our inconsistency in defence. The league is so tight between the last European place and the relegation spots, with no team out of either situation.

Rod: Good to not lose these games. Always want a win at home and at least a draw away. A win against Motherwell will keep us on track for a top-six finish. Considering the trouble we are having with clean sheets, we are doing pretty good. If we can improve our defence we could be looking top four.

Anon: Decent point away from home... would have bitten your hand off for that a few weeks back. Why move Josh Mulligan from where he is effective on the wing to facilitate taking Mo Sylla off and bringing on Ethan Ingram? Ingram directly responsible for the Killie goal and lets players beat him again and again. Poor tactics and Dundee just got away with it.

Dean: Thoughts on the game are very mixed with us having pretty limited options on bench due to injury. The Dee absolutely dominated first half, having better chances. Simon Murray should finish in first half and it probably would of killed the game! Think Scott Tiffoney is a big miss in this squad, he brings absolute fire.

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• Dundee have scored in their last four games in the Premiership, their joint longest scoring streak this season.

• Dundee have lost 10 points from winning positions in the Premiership this season, only Hibernian (16) have lost more.

• Kilmarnock have won 10 points from losing positions in the Premiership this season, more than any other team.

• Dundee have scored in each of their last 4 games in the Premiership, scoring nine goals in that run.

Substitute Bobby Wales scored moments after coming on to rescue a point for Kilmarnock at home to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

In a game that lacked quality, Dundee struck first through Lyall Cameron when the midfielder fired a loose ball into the top corner.

Derek McInnes made a change 12 minutes from time, bringing on young striker Wales, who made an instant impact lashing in Kyle Vassell's pass.

What did you make of that, Dundee fans? What went right and what went wrong?

Let us know your thoughts., external

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Dundee boss Tony Docherty told BBC Scotland: "It was a good point for us away from home. One of the most difficult fixtures in this league is Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

"I'm disappointed, after leading 1-0, to concede a goal. We'll pick through the bones of that. We can defend that better, but it's a decent result.

"We just wanted to continue the momentum from the Hibs game. We did that, their goalkeeper pulled off a great save in the first minute, but then the game became untidy and lacked that bit of quality.

"The real quality I had in my team was brining [Oluwaseun] Adewumi on and his contribution was fantastic.

"It's very important that the players maintain their professionalism and their focus. I don't have the biggest squad, so it's important to rest them and prepare them properly."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Only Hibernian have lost more points from winning positions than Dundee this season. Had they been able to hold on in those games, they'd be in third.

The goal came at a strange time. They really dominated the first half but couldn't capitalise, yet scored when they were under the cosh as Kilmarnock roared out of the blocks after half-time.

Cameron continues to fill the Luke McCowan-shaped hole in midfield at least, while they finally got a solid goalkeeping performance.

This time it was from McCracken, preferred to Trevor Carson for "competition reasons" according to Docherty. After a few saves that won his side a point, he might have finally put some credit back in the bank.

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Jon McCracken. The 24-year-old looked back to the shot-stopper that earned a place in the Scotland squad during the Nations League.

Hopefully he is given a run of games to get some consistency back.

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Kilmarnock midfielder Liam Donnelly is suspended while midfielders David Watson (hip) and Matty Kennedy (back) are in with a chance of playing.

Stuart Findlay is out for three to four months after ankle surgery while Kyle Magennis is working towards a comeback.

Dundee have lost Clark Robertson (thigh) and Curtis Main (knee) but Julien Vetro is available again and new signing Sean Kelly is in contention.

Ziyad Larkeche (hamstring) and Scott Fraser (groin) remain out along with long-term absentee Joe Shaughnessy (knee).

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Billy Koumetio aims to maintain the "good vide" in the Dundee dressing room by making it back-to-back Premiership wins for the first time since March.

Tony Docherty's men head to Rugby Park on Saturday after thrashing Hibs 4-1 at home last weekend.

Defender Koumetio, who is on loan from Liverpool, said: "We had success in the last game, which gives us a lot more confidence and a good vibe in the changing room between the players.

"We are excited and looking forward to this game, working hard during the week, and just preparing ourselves on the way we are going to play and attack the game.

"We have a few good games coming up during the next month or so. I think it's the perfect time from the Hibs game to find a good rhythm for the matches coming up."

The 22-year-old moved to Dens Park in the summer after loan spells at Austria Vienna, Dunkerque and Blackburn.

"I've been in a few places and a few countries, and football is kind of different, but I think you have to learn very quick," he added.

"With all the work that we are doing in training, week after week, month after month, you just get used to it, and then just keep pushing it.

"Game after game, you just build on what you are doing, keep building capability, working on your weaknesses and on the good things that you can do."

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Dundee have signed former Livingston skipper Sean Kelly on a short-term deal until January.

The 30-year-old defender, who left relegated Livi in the summer, was a free agent after departing Cypriot side Karmiotissa without making an appearance.

Kelly, who has also turned out for clubs including St Mirren, Wimbledon and Ross County, bolsters a Dundee defence hit by injuries to Clark Robertson and Ziyad Larkeche.

"The club has done really well in the past few years, so to be a part of it now is something I'm really looking forward to," Kelly said.

"The manager phoned me a wee while ago and said there were a few injuries so he was keen to get me on board.

"Hopefully I can add to the way the club has started the season. I can't wait to get started."