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Indeed, we should be pleased with our effort at Tynecastle and whilst our performance was poor at East End, we did come close to taking a draw. It was accepted before the start of the season that we would be inconsistent, so it is totally unreasonable to be unhappy when our expectations are met.
Scott Leitch returned and looked like his old self but Stephen Pearson’s substitution at half time was probably the difference between the teams. Without him we lacked an outlet for the defence and Shaun Fagan failed to recreate the heights he scaled in the Celtic game.
Daniel Sengewald was also taken off injured but ‘Well fans will be more worried about how he played when he was on the pitch. Craig Brewster is on form but he is not the biggest or the best striker we’ll face this season. Even so, he won more than his fair share against Daniel in the air and we failed to shut him down on the deck. Dundee have no one like Brewster but Sengewald will have his work cut out in closing down the likes of Sara and Cabellero.
Jamie McFadden was the man of the moment going into the Pars game but his quiet day proves that he still has a lot to learn. Dunfermline managed to cut off his supply and when he did get the ball he was closed down very quickly. Without Pearson being able to exploit the space left in the Pars defence, we had a one-man attack. That man was having an off day and we never looked like finding the back of the net.
The defence looked solid with Corrigan and Partridge in the middle and it took a lapse in concentration to give Dunfermline their goal. However, that lapse was always a possibility when we were defending so deep for so long. Hopefully we will be able to attack Dundee and force them to defend for a draw, rather than hanging on ourselves. This is the sort of game we really must be winning – get right behind the team, they’re due another surprise!
Have a look at the SPL table.