Dundee

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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."

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• Kilmarnock have only lost one of their last seven Scottish Premiership home games against Dundee (W3 D3) and are unbeaten in four (W2 D2) since a 1-0 reverse in May 2017.

• Dundee's 3-2 win over Kilmarnock earlier this month was their first in 12 Scottish Premiership meetings with Kilmarnock (D7 L4). The Dark Blues last won successive games against Killie in the competition in August 2015 (run of 3).

• Kilmarnock have lost their last three league games; not since February 2021 have they lost more in a row in the Scottish Premiership (run of 8).

• No side has kept fewer clean sheets (1) or faced more shots (197) in the Scottish Premiership this season than Dundee.

• Kilmarnock's Matty Kennedy has created more chances (31) than any other player in this season's Scottish Premiership, although only one of those has ended up as an assist.

Dundee have offered new deals to eight of their 13 players who are out of contract next summer. (The Courier), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

There have been a few moments this season where it has felt like Dundee have turned a corner – Saturday's 4-1 win over Hibs falls into that category.

Yes there have perhaps been a few false dawns for the Dark Blues so far this term – but there was something that felt a little bit different about what happened in their last outing.

Listen, of course they were aided by the visitors' early red card but the way Dundee took control of the game after that - playing with a swagger and a clinical ruthlessness – suggested that this was a team that really meant business.

The performance was good but this time they were able to match that with also getting a full return of points – a combination manager Tony Docherty hasn't seen often enough during this campaign.

Everyone of a Dundee persuasion will be hoping this isn't one of those above referenced 'false dawns' – we will find that out over the coming weeks.

Docherty's side are well placed in seventh spot in the table, and are very much within striking distance of the teams above.

We will learn a lot about them over their next six games – four of which are on the road (Kilmarnock, Hearts, Rangers, St Mirren) .

At the end of that little block of fixtures we will probably have a clearer picture about how this season is going to shake down for Dundee.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

Premier Sports certainly picked the correct game to broadcast. Five goals, a comeback, a red card, pundits furious over keepy-ups and the worst goalkeeping howler this season - all wrapped into one action-packed day at Dens Park.

That's the Dundee we know can show up. Strong in possession, direct in one-on-one duels, high intensity pressing and creating chances.

Truth be told, Dundee didn’t lay a finger on Hibs in the opening 10 minutes and Jordan Obita's red card completely changed the complexion of the contest.

Sometimes playing against 10 men can be trickier than it seems, especially if your opponents hunker down with a tight defensive structure. But Hibs failed to adapt, lacking a Plan B, and for the remaining 80 minutes it was one-way traffic.

Josh Mulligan was electric. He ran riot, they couldn't handle him and that's what I've been waiting for all season. I knew if given a run of starts he'd eventually terrify whoever he came up against and his man of the match award was thoroughly deserved.

Praise is also merited for the displays of Finlay Robertson and Jordan McGhee. McGhee, in particular, has been instrumental; it’s no coincidence that Dundee's form improves when he's in the team.

He has scored in our last two victories (both were equalisers), and in games where he has played over 45 minutes, Dundee boast a 61.5% win rate this season. The only defeats in such games were against Rangers at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-finals and Aberdeen away.

To bounce back from our 4-1 defeat at Pittodrie with a 4-1 victory at Dens speaks volumes of the strength in personality we have in the dressing room. We were looking for a reaction after the international break and it couldn't have been a much more comprehensive win.

More positive news off the park has surfaced with the announcement of a strategic partnership with one of Mexico's biggest clubs, CF Monterrey. We already have a fruitful collaboration with Burnley and it's great to see the club broadening its muscles with the opportunity to build on extensive knowledge and connections from the Americas.

Kilmarnock away next, we could make a real statement of intent with a positive result down there. I expect us to go from one thriller to another as Dundee v Kilmarnock is bound to be the best fixture in the league for the neutral.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

The versatile Jordan McGhee once again proved his worth for Dundee, notching another goal in the comfortable win against Hibs, while Josh Mulligan was a dominant force in midfield throughout the game.

Both are named in my team of the week.

Watch Sportscene analysis of Dundee's 4-1 win against Hibs.

Josh Mulligan believes it's time for Dundee to kick on following their 4-1 defeat of Hibernian on Saturday. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

Watch highlights as Dundee win 4-1 against Hibs in the Scottish Premiership.

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Josh Mulligan has challenged Dundee to "kick on" from their 4-1 win against Hibs on Saturday, and put together a consistent run of results.

Goals from Jordan McGhee, Seb Palmer-Houlden and Curtis Main, in addition to a Nectar Triantis own-goal secured a comfortable three points for Tony Docherty's side on Saturday, who sit seventh in the Scottish Premiership.

"It was a bit of a slow start, everyone will admit that but the red card definitely helps and from there every one man to man was great," said Mulligan.

"Everyone wanted the ball and we created loads of chances and the goals came with that.

"It has been a bit inconsistent, we will get a win and then follow it with a loss so hopefully we can kick on from here.

"The next game is Kilmarnock away so that is another tough game, every game is tough so hopefully we kick on from this one."

Mulligan believes that fine margins of improvement will help showcase the quality in the Dundee squad as the season progresses.

"You saw that we have got loads of good players, great players," he said. "There have been a few little mistakes, small mistakes that have cost us three points at times.

"If we can cut that out, we have had that performance in the season already, if we can keep that up then I think we will do well."

We asked for your views on Dundee's 4-1 win against Hibs.

Here's what some of you said:

Grant: Delighted we punished a ten man team. We failed to do this twice last season. We have good players and just need to stop conceding as we have goals in this side.

Neil: A brilliant result! Great squad, top-six and Europe is the realistic goal.

John: Deserved win but a poor Hibs team. Red card helped us get more space and with Jordan McGhee and Mo Sylla either side, Cameron Lyall had his best game for ages. Kudos to Josh Mulligan, Scott Fraser and Clark Robertson. Antonio Portales also did what he does best and defend. Still doubts about Billy Koumetio for me.

Rod: I never worry about us scoring even when we go behind. Although people talk about us losing Luke McCowan, Simon Murray is a more important player with his energy, leadership and influence in games. Even when not scoring he is pressing defences into mistakes or getting us penalties, without him we would have really missed McCowan.

Gary: The fog didn't ruin a stylish performance from Dundee. The midfield were excellent and the rest of the team played their part in a really convincing win, albeit against 10 men. Usually teams needing a result get it at Dens but thankfully the Dee limited them. As good a win as you'll see, or not!

Neil: Great win. For the first time in a long time we really took advantage of the extra man. Mulligan ripped into Hibs like Ben Doak, and fellow local lad Cameron controlled the middle of the pitch. We haven’t got the points we deserve this season, we should have won at home to Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, we'd have been ahead of our arch rivals in fourth.

Brian: Until Hibs went down to 10 men we looked so disjointed, once we levelled the scores there was only one winner. In the second half we really should have went for it and bettered our goal difference. However a good three points, Mulligan was awesome.

Ronnie: Excellent result and great to see Mulligan getting plaudits after a dominant performance. Joy over the win should be tempered given Hibs were down to 10 men and were giving Dundee a torrid time at the start. Tony Docherty needs to work on why it was they let Hibs bully them initially but well done to the team.

Iain: One thing nobody seems to mention is our inability to convert chances when they arrive. We have been very much on top of teams in most games and yet have failed to capitalise on chances created, against Aberdeen Oluwaseun Adewumi spurned two decent chances and then we had the penalty miss. If two of these chances had been taken victory would have been ours.

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• Curtis Main has scored his second goal in the Premiership this season, netting for the first time since 31st August 2024 against St Mirren.

• Hibernian have conceded 10 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, more than any other team in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee have scored four goals in a game for the first time since 27th January 2024 against Livingston (W4-1).

• Hibernian have failed to win in their last eight games in the Premiership, their last joint longest winless streak was from 16th December 2023 to 17th February 2024.

Dundee fans, whether you were watching on at Dens Park or following along from home, we want to hear your thoughts on this evening's victory over Hibernian.

Let us know here, external.

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty tells Premier Sports: "I'm delighted for the players. We started poor. Credit to Hibs, you could see they played for their manager when they came out.

"After the sending off, we showed a real maturity in our performance. We managed the second half and got a second goal, it shows our team is developing.

"It is a great reward for the players. I see the effort they put in daily."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Sometimes it can take one incident to ignite a season – perhaps that Jordan Obita red card for Hibernian could be the catalyst that does just that for Dundee.

Up to that point it looked like it was going to be a long night for the home side, after that they were a team transformed, playing with the swagger and attacking intent that was the hallmark of Tony Docherty’s team last season.

Dundee have played some good football this term without always getting results. Docherty will be hoping victory - and the manner of it - can be a launchpad.

Three valuable points must provide the manager with real belief that his team can find themselves in the winners' enclosure more often than not over the coming weeks and months.

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Josh Mulligan dominated for the full 90 minutes in midfield, looking a constant threat while carrying the ball forward down the right flank.

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Tony Docherty opts to make four changes to the Dundee side that fell to a 4-1 defeat to Aberdeen before the international break.

Trevor Carson returns in goal, forcing keeper Jon McCracken onto the bench.

Centre-back Billy Koumetio and full-back Antonio Portales come into the backline - replacing Ryan Astley and Ziyad Larkeche, respectively.

The final change sees Burnley loanee Oluwaseun drop out in place of central midfielder Finlay Robertson.

Larkeche, Scott Fraser, Julien Vetro and Joe Shaughnessy all miss out through injury.

Dundee: Carson, Portales, Koumetio, C Robertson, McGhee, Sylla, Mulligan, Cameron, F Robertson, Palmer-Houlden, Murray.

Substitutes: McCracken, Sharp, Ingram, Astley, Tiffoney, Main, Adewumi, Braybrooke.

Hibernian: Bursik, C Cadden, Bushiri, O’Hora, Obita, Triantis, Campbell, Newell, N Cadden, Kuharevich, Youan.

Substitutes: Smith, Miller, Levitt, Boyle, Iredale, Kwon, Hoilett, Gayle, Molotnikov.

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Dundee are without Ziyad Larkeche (hamstring) and Scott Fraser (groin) as well as Julien Vetro, who is with parent club Burnley as he prepares to return to contention after fainting prior to the match against Kilmarnock earlier this month.

Goalkeeper Trevor Carson could be back in the squad, but captain Joe Shaughnessy (knee) is still out.

Hibs welcome back Mykola Kuharevich after suspension and Lewis Miller could return after missing the defeat by St Mirren through injury but Kieron Bowie (hamstring) remains sidelined.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Captain Simon Murray says Dundee need to become "street smart" to tighten up and improve their fluctuating fortunes.

The seventh-place Dark Blues, who have three wins in 12 this season, have shipped an average of two goals per game and lost eight points from winning positions.

Speaking before Saturday’s visit of bottom club Hibernian, striker Murray said: "We have done a lot of analysis on where we are going wrong because we are doing some really good things in terms of goals scored.

"So it is just the other side now and maybe being a bit street smart at certain times and making sure we are focused for the full 90 minutes.

"It is not like we are searching for goals, things are coming, we have been playing well. It is just piecing that all together and getting the wins gives you confidence as well, it feeds through the whole team.

"We had a clean sheet at Motherwell, they are doing quite well, and we showed great character to come back against Kilmarnock. So it is the consistency because in between those we have had results that haven't gone our way and we have maybe made mistakes."

Murray is enjoying the responsibility of leading the side in the absence of injured Joe Shaughnessy.

The 32-year-old striker, who has scored nine goals this season, said: "It is a privilege to wear the armband.

"It is something you have to embrace. I am enjoying it, it would be nice to get a few more wins with it on.

"We have a really young team here and I am one of the oldest outfield players, so it is definitely something I feel I can bring to them. I can still learn off them as well so it is good."

We asked you what's the one thing nobody is talking about in relation to Dundee - good or bad.

Here's what some of you said:

Lambert: Last season we gave up so many points from good positions and this season seems to be exactly the same. Injuries have not done us any favours and holding on to Luke McCowan for so long did not help matters. The fact remains Tony Docherty needs to sort this out ASAP before we are in a relegation battle. We have been through that too many times before.

John: Lyall Cameron is a liability in centre midfield. There is no doubt he is a good player (not great). He tries his best but one or two good passes in a game is not enough. A good Championship player perhaps. It's all down to his build. Such a pity. If he was only a bit stronger in all departments.

David: The international break has come at the perfect time (not often you say that). I predict this will allow Docherty to implement much-needed tactical changes which could turn the season the right way round. He'll maybe even drop some players who are too comfortable in the starting XI.

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Dundee and Mexican side Monterrey have announced a strategic partnership that will "benefit both clubs in player development".

The Dens Park club also say the deal will "open a pathway to European football" for youngsters from the Monterrey academy.

Earlier this year, Dundee entered into a similar partnership with English Championship side Burnley.

"We look forward to this agreement providing great benefits to both clubs over the coming years," chairman Tim Keyes said.

Nicolas Martellotto, director of the Monterrey academy, says the partnership "represents a great opportunity for players to migrate to Europe and continue their development outside of Mexico".

Meanwhile, Dundee managing director John Nelms added: "[Monterrey] have a fantastic youth set-up with over 15,000 individuals in their youth academies, spanning across multiple countries."

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• Dundee have won just one of their last 16 top-flight meetings with Hibs (D7 L8), a 3-1 victory in May 2022 under Mark McGhee.

• Hibs have won four of their last seven top-flight away games at Dundee (D2 L1), more than their previous 12 beforehand (W3 D3 L6).

• Dundee have conceded 2+ goals in nine of their last 10 league games (21 total), including each of their last four in a row since a 1-0 win at Motherwell in October.

• Hibs have only won one of their last 15 away league outings (D8 L6), and are winless in seven (D3 L4) since beating St Johnstone 3-1 in April last season.

• Dundee have had more direct attacks (20) than any side in the Scottish Premiership this season, while only Celtic (94) and Rangers (94) have forced more high turnovers in the division this term than the Dark Blues (83).

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty is "really confident" his side will start turning their positive performances into wins.

Despite playing some good football at times this term, the Dark Blues have mustered just three victories in 12 league games so far.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's visit of bottom club Hibs, Docherty said: "I'm really confident because you need, especially when you are in my position, to trust the process.

"There has to be a belief and a trust from the players. If I don't believe it they won't believe it.

"It is important to remember, I think we lost 19 players and brought in 15 this year, so there is a time for them all to gel. But I see the hard work and conscientious players that are buying in to what we are doing.

"That is a process, within that process there has to be individual development and improvement in individual players, but as a collective you need to see that consistency of performance.

"I am confident that if we keep working the way we are, if we keep that trust and belief, then those consistent performances will lead to results."

While Dundee's form has been patchy, they remain handily positioned in seventh place in the table, albeit just four points off the bottom.

"It is documented we have made a lot of individual mistakes but the important bit for that is learning," added Docherty.

"It is a young squad, it is important that we address things honestly.

"There has been a lot to like about our positive play but we need to try and develop individuals and have a performance level that is consistent that would allow us to pick up results."