The pitch had taken a fair pummelling from the Scotland A rugby match with Italy the night before.
St Johnstone have topped the First Division for months. They'd drawn a number of games of late but manager Derek McInnes – on the eve of this Taysid
e derby – was to be heard praising his players for their handling of pressure and determination not to be beaten. They had fought back from two goals down in Dumfries last weekend to salvage a point against Queen of the South. St Johnstone's was a stubborn leadership.
Dundee's fortunes have taken a turn for the better under Scott. From languishing near the basement not so long ago, Dundee knew that a win at McDiarmid Park would put them three points behind their local rivals. There was definitely a lot to play for.
The game began brightly with the visitors forcing a lot of the pressure. Dundee won a few good free-kick opportunities and the St Johnstone defence was required to be on their guard. The first half was lacking in craft. Too many erratic balls. Too many bad decisions on both sides. Neither keeper was troubled. Andrew Shinnie tried to produce a flash of class but the Dundee midfielder's long-range drive dipped over the home crossbar.
Defenders were on top, midfielders were rushed and strikers really weren't getting a look in.
St Johnstone's Steven Milne went down in the Dundee box, with Eddie Malone challenging. Milne was looking for a penalty but the former Dundee striker wasn't getting it, despite his protestations. Not long after, referee Steve Conroy sounded the half-time whistle. It was hard to recall a highlight so far.
The home side upped the ante after the break and Milne sent a header past Robert Douglas's left-hand post. Milne landed on the floor again in the Dundee penalty area with Gary McKenzie shackling him. Once more, the St Johnstone man's claims for a spot-kick fell on deaf ears.
An hour gone and this game was still goalless. The notion of a breakthrough seemed a far-fetched one. The best thing so far was the crowd, more than 7,000 supporters making the sort of noise the action didn't quite deserve. The fans had more than earned something to feast their eyes on. The greatest excitement however was the winning of corners. But they never amounted to much.
Fifteen minutes to go. How about a rousing finale? Milne was replaced by new signing Graham Barrett as McInnes sought to alter a predictable script with the introduction of the Irishman. Dundee flung the ball high into the home box but St Johnstone's defenders were winning all the headers.
A chance opened up for home substitute Martin Hardie but the shot was too wild to trouble Douglas. At the other end, Alan Main needed to scramble to turn Shinnie's deflected effort past the post. Dundee looked mighty keen to sneak a winner but time was fast running out.
Dundee's McKenzie was rightly carded for a bad tackle on Gary Irvine.
The match entered injury time. One last push for St Johnstone but nothing came of it. The ending was flat and suited what had gone before.
The full article contains 544 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
