Dundee

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Tony Docherty had been full of praise for his defence prior to this game, but there is no doubt the Dundee manager will be asking questions about this performance.

The opening goal for Bushiri was just too easy and that put the visitors on the back foot.

There was little creativity or opportunities for Murray up front either and that will also be something that has to be addressed in the coming weeks.

Hibs were very good and that fact cannot be lost, but if Dundee are to escape relegation they will have to play much better than they did at Easter Road.

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Tony Docherty wants Dundee to spoil Hibs' party when he takes his side to Easter Road on Sunday.

The resurgent third-place Hibees will equal a club record of 17 league games unbeaten - set in 1948 - should they take at least a point against the visitors.

Dundee, on the other hand, occupy the relegation play-off spot and are five points ahead of St Johnstone at the bottom with six games to play as they chase survival.

"We play the same way all the time," manager Docherty said.

"In every game we set up to win the match, but we are playing against a good team in Hibs.

"They have done exceptionally well recently, but in the last four they are on the same run as us, they've also won two, drawn one and lost one [Hibs were beaten by Celtic in the cup].

"So two teams on form, but they are at home and I think they have a record to try to break so that is another motivation for us, to try and make sure they don't do that.

"But any game you analyse your opponents, they have their strength and weaknesses and we have worked on that all week.

"We always set out to win every match we play but we know there has to be a balance between in possession and out of possession and we'll be endeavouring to do that.

"Hopefully we can give ourselves a shot in the arm by going into that split with another victory under our belt, another three points and putting ourselves in a decent position."

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Hibs remain without Joe Newell (groin) and Elie Youan (toe), while Kwon Hyeok-kyu (ankle) and Rudi Molotnikov (groin) are both doubts.

Dundee have had a full squad in training but Scott Fraser is still short of match fitness after groin trouble.

Celtic could still win a 13th Scottish top-flight title in 14 seasons this weekend, despite their shock defeat away to St Johnstone last Sunday.

Victory at home against Kilmarnock on Saturday would be sufficient to confirm the arithmetic should Rangers lose at Aberdeen the following day.

The Ibrox side are almost certain to clinch the second Champions League place, but four points from their final six matches would confirm it.

Whoever finishes third and fourth will also be in Europe, as will the division's fifth-placed side should the Scottish Cup winners be one of the Premiership's top four.

The fight for the final top-six place will go to the final game before the split, with one of Hearts, Motherwell or St Mirren claiming it.

Hearts visit Fir Park one point in front of their hosts and the Paisley side, who take on Ross County.

The two teams missing out could yet be sucked into a relegation battle.

Bottom side St Johnstone are now five adrift of Dundee and six behind Kilmarnock and Ross County. Motherwell and St Mirren are a further three points ahead.

With the teams all playing each other again post-split, there is still plenty scope for movement between now and 18 May.

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• Hibernian remain unbeaten in their past 15 top-flight home games against Dundee (W8 D7) since a 1-2 reverse in October 2001 under Alex McLeish.

• After beating Hibernian 4-1 in December, Dundee are looking to win back-to-back games against Hibs in the top-flight for the first time since January 2002 under Ivano Bonetti (three in a row).

• Hibernian remain unbeaten in 16 league games (W11 D5), winning both of their last two without conceding; Hibs last won three successive Scottish Premiership matches while keeping a clean sheet each time in October 2018, a run which started with a 3-0 win over Dundee.

• Dundee have won two of their past three league games (L1), as many as their previous 14 beforehand (W2 D3 L9).

• Martin Boyle has scored in each of his past four Scottish Premiership appearances for Hibernian; the last player to find the net in five in a row for Hibs in the competition was Christian Doidge in December 2019.

Dundee fans, with the final top-six spot still yet to be decided, we asked who you'd most like to avoid in the split.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Nik: We definitely want to avoid Hearts at all costs. Dundee have been very poor against them this season and the split is no time to get nostalgic and look for revenge. I'd fancy my chances against St Mirren and Motherwell but not Hearts. We need to be resistant and get the points to stay up then we can look to next season and hopefully get better luck with injuries to key players.

Gary: Personally? Hearts, but as long as we get three home games I wouldn't really fear anyone.

Ben: Definitely Hearts. They seem to be a real bogey team for us at the moment. We're unbeaten against St Mirren this season, and perhaps a controversial opinion but I reckon Motherwell are the weakest team in the league at the minute and I predict them to finish in the relegation play-off spot.

Carl: We have a number of senior players returning from injury who will make a positive difference to the team, and if we play as we have in the last three games, we have nothing to fear. Bring on Hearts, St Mirren or Motherwell!

With one round of pre-split fixtures remaining, the final position of three teams is yet to be finalised.

So, with every post-split game crucial to your side's survival, who would you rather avoid in the bottom six: Hearts, St Mirren, or Motherwell?

Tell us why via this link and come back later in the week to see what your fellow fans are thinking.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Prior to their crucial win over St Mirren last time out, Dundee manager Tony Docherty spoke about finally having all of his defensive options available.

He pointed out that he has been without a number of his key defenders for a significant amount of matches over the course of the campaign, a campaign which has seen them ship an alarming amount of goals.

Make no mistake, having experience like Joe Shaughnessy (32), Clark Robertson (31), Jordan McGhee (28) and Antonio Portales (28) available will undoubtedly help shore things up at the back.

The first three on that list all started against St Mirren as they went on to register only their second clean sheet in the league this season.

If defensive solidity is to be a feature over the remaining weeks of the season, then you feel Dundee, who are currently second bottom of the table, will be fine.

After all, the other part of the formula for success, scoring, is functioning very well, with the club's attacking players continuing to bang in the goals they hope will fire them to top division safety.

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Dundee managing director John Nelms says a potential 10-team Scottish Premiership is a "non-starter" as discussions over league reconstruction continue.

The debate has gathered momentum in recent weeks, but Nelms has stressed the need to find consensus across all SPFL sides before moving forward.

"From a Scottish point of view, anything that is good for Scottish football is good for Dundee FC as a whole," he said.

"It is a non-starter, 10 teams, because you are going to have two teams vote themselves out of the league. That is just not going to happen; we need an 11-1 vote.

"If we are really truly going to discuss it then let's do that and let's get everybody in and try and figure out a way to get 42 teams to agree on something.

"How do we want to see it built? What is entertaining for people now versus what was entertaining for people back when the 12-team league evolved?

"So that is where we are at; it is a much bigger question than just, are we happy? We have to look at all aspects of it and come to a conclusion."

Nelms and chairman Tim Keyes have both now been at Dens Park for over a decade and have seen the side relegated twice in that time, something the club are trying to avoid happening for a third time this season.

Dundee sit in the relegation play-off spot at present with six league games remaining.

"We have been through this before," Nelms added. "We have a very young team, probably the youngest in the league, that is by design.

"We are playing very well at the moment and we have got some of the senior players back to help with that balance of young and old, so the way we are performing at the moment, I am quite pleased with it.

"This season is the way that this season has unfolded, we have been in the top six, the top four, we have been all the way down to the bottom, and it has been a rollercoaster ride.

"But I think this team will survive in the league and we will move forward from there. I think if you look at, especially our last three performances, if we continue to perform like that, I don't think we have an issue."

Frustrated Dundee chief John Nelms has taken his fight to the very top and the First Minister in a bid to try to move the club a step closer to their new stadium. (Daily Record)

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

Dundee weren't at their best but they were certainly at their most effective on Saturday.

A 2-0 win at home sounds like a straightforward story but there is plenty of subject matter to sink our teeth into.

Starting with the clean sheet, that was Dundee's first league game without conceding any goals since October! To find Dundee's last clean sheet at Dens Park in the Premiership you'd have to go back to last April (last season!) when we drew with Rangers just before the split.

Experience was the key, it was the first time Joe Shaughnessy played alongside fellow veteran Clark Robertson and they ensured that the goalkeeper had very little to deal with over the course of the game.

Seb Palmer-Houlden and Billy Koumetio both returned after lengthy spells on the sidelines and they looked very sharp, as if they hadn't missed anything.

It's also went under the radar in recent weeks that Ziyad Larkeche appears to be back at his best since he came back from injury.

Then there is the case of Simon Murray. No one has scored more goals in the Scottish Premiership than him since 2023. He is currently the league's joint top goalscorer and in the form of his life. Any forward who is in the race for the golden boot when their team are sitting in the bottom half of the table deserves their flowers.

He's on a sensational run just now scoring in six consecutive league games, a goal against Hibs on Sunday would match a post-war record of scoring in seven consecutive games – currently held between all-time top goal scorer Alan Gilzean and David Clarkson. If Murray meets that feat he'll be two games off the all time record of nine, set by Johnny Bell in 1920. A fascinating sub-plot in the midst of his blazing hot form.

With Scotland's friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein coming up in June, I think it would be a daft decision from Steve Clarke to snub the Dundee striker given he is outperforming Kevin Nisbet and James Wilson who were enrolled in the last national squad.

From a narrative perspective, it would be another fairy tale story in Scottish football – Murray was playing in the third tier of Scottish football just four years ago, if he managed to earn a Scotland cap at 33 then it would be right up there with inspiring stories of Andy Considine and Nicky Devlin.

With a fully fit squad I feel Dundee have nothing to fear heading into the season's final stage, including a trip to Easter Road against a Hibs team who are unbeaten in 16 games. We are currently unbeaten against Hibs this season and a result in the capital would be a massive morale boost for heading into the split.

A decision on the proposed new 12,500-seater Dundee FC stadium at Camperdown Park will be made on 19 May at the earliest after Dundee City Council's April planning committee meeting was cancelled due to lack of business. (The Courier), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Dundee secured a vital 2-0 win over St Mirren on Saturday in their fight to avoid the drop and have two players in my team of the week.

Mo Sylla is an unsung hero in the heart of the Dundee midfield. Exactly the sort of player you want in a relegation battle.

Simon Murray is a constant livewire up front for the club that he loves. The 33-year-old striker always looks like he can make something happen. Two goals against St Mirren took his season tally to 21 in all competitions.

Age might be against him but given Scotland's seemingly unending search for a striker, he must be in Steve Clarke's thoughts for the end-of-season friendly matches.

Watch highlights as Dundee win 2-0 against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

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We asked for your views on Dundee's 2-0 win against St Mirren.

Here's what some of you said:

Boab: Certainly not our best performance but a massive three points. We're far too open in midfield and seem to give up possession too easily, however, in saying that we are certainly good up front. Delighted with the victory.

Mark S: Excellent result. Dundee showed their fighting qualities. The win brings them back to Kilmarnock and Ross County. The home/away games post-split will be so important now.

Iain: Great result! It's a sad fact that this was our first home clean sheet in the league this season - 67 goals conceded and 23 points dropped from a winning position. We can do a whole lot better. Well done to Simon Murray, 21 goals, we'd be relegated already without him.

Mark D: Huge result. Not the prettiest but points are all that matter at this stage of the season. Money well spent to get Murray in. Who knows where we would be without him. Hopefully can get another three wins from the remaining games and should avoid the play-off.

Jefcal: We keep hearing about leaky defence but we have no midfield balance. Mo Sylla wins lots but does not create or score. No midfielder can slow things down and make a pass to our strong front players. Hence defence put under pressure. Well done but St Mirren deserved a point, 4-4-2 may be way to go.

Kenny: Solid display, great to see defence keep a rare deserved clean sheet, no issus up top despite having poor lack of depth. What an important signing Murray has been, deserves all the plaudits, it's been a brilliant season for him, such an important figure around the club and gives his all every single week. Just wish he was five years younger!

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

• St Mirren have failed to score in 12 of their 32 games, only Ross County (14) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

• Simon Murray scored after just one minute and 27 seconds, the fastest goal for Dundee in the Premiership this season.

• St Mirren attempted 20 shots in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Premiership this season.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Scotland at Dens Park

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Dundee's recent performances have fuelled belief they can avoid the drop from the Scottish Premiership, says Simon Murray.

Murray, 33, scored twice in Saturday's 2-0 victory over St Mirren, giving the second-bottom side an eight-point cushion over St Johnstone.

"It's the performances over the last few weeks we have taken our confidence from," said Murray, who has 21 goals for the season including 15 in the league.

"At the same time we can't get carried away and need to keep doing the things we have been in recent weeks - that continuity of performance levels in recent weeks."

Murray scored the opening goal within the first two minutes at Dens Park and added a second after the break.

"We have been starting games well over the past month to six weeks," added Murray. "We just had to concentrate on our performance. We just had to start the game well and we did.

"We have the threat going forward but defensively I thought that was probably the best we have been this season.

"We know how good a team St Mirren are. We knew the importance if starting the game well."

Dundee's Scottish forward Simon Murray, 33, deserves international recognition, believes his club boss Tony Docherty. (Scotsman - subscription required), external

Docherty says Dundee duo Oluwaseun Adewumi and Clark Robertson are "fine" after both came off with knocks towards the end of Saturday's 2-0 win over St Mirren. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip

Did you take in Dundee's 2-0 win over St Mirren or were you following from home?

Have your say on the match

Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "I'm absolutely delighted for the boys, I think they got the rewards for the effort they put in.

"The clean sheet's the most important thing. The two centre-backs in particular, I thought they were magnificent. They know if they can defend, we've got players in the team that will score and that's a great feeling.

"It just now gives us that platform. I'm not bothered about looking at the league table. The consistency of performance will get us out."

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Brian McLauchlin
BBC Scotland at Dens Park

Given all the pressure on a Dundee defence which had conceded 67 goals in the league, this was a victory in so many ways for the home side.

There are no secrets when it comes to knowing how St Mirren play, with plenty of balls fired into the box, but those were marshalled at the back magnificently by Joe Shaughnessy.

And when you have a goal machine up front in Simon Murray, you are always going to have a chance. His style and awareness throughout the game was a joy to watch.

Dundee may remain second bottom but they certainly showed they are more than up for a fight to retain their top-flight status.

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