Dundee matchwinner Paul McMullan lavished praise on the Dark Blues defence and goalkeeper Ian Lawlor for seeing them through against Hamilton Accies on Saturday.
McMullan admits the forward line weren’t at their best during the 1-0 success but “one of the best saves” he’s ever seen combined with bravery in the backline earned the three points.
It was McMullan’s 56th-minute goal, knocking in Zak Rudden’s cross from close-range, that proved the difference on the scoreline.
The winger, however, says all credit goes to the Dundee defence.
“I don’t think we played particularly well,” McMullan said.
“The front guys anyway, we defended really well and big Ian Lawlor made a couple of unbelievable saves.
“The one in the first half is one of the best saves I’ve ever seen.
“Sometimes in this league you just have to grind out three points and we’ve done that.
“They threw more bodies forward at the end.
“The guys at the back and big Ian in goal dealt with that great.
“And that’s why we have the three points.”
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‘Thought it was in’
Lawlor denied Andrew Winter in the first half with a stunning reaction save before getting up to save again after Ryan Sweeney had blocked the ball in the six-yard box.
“I thought it was in, I was getting ready to walk back to the halfway line and start again,” McMullan said.
“It bounced up and Ryan Sweeney then heads it off the line, that’s the kind of stuff they were doing all day and it was brilliant.
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“That’s what you need.
“You can score as many goals as you want but if you’re letting them in at the other end then…
“Thankfully we only needed one and that was enough for three points.”
Momentum
And at 1-0 to the Dee, Reegan Mimnaugh was millimetres away from a late leveller as his long-range effort crashed off the corner of post and bar before incredibly hitting the opposite post and bouncing out.
“I thought that was in as well!” McMullan added.
“Hits both posts and comes back into the middle, it then gets blocked and cleared.
“It was just one of those days for the defence, getting themselves in front of everything.
“That’s how we got our three points.
“You want to build momentum and I think we’ve got a bit of that now.
“We’ve won three on the bounce now so we have to keep it going.”
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