Airdrieonians were just the tonic Dundee needed.
There was simply one result that was acceptable after the whistle went at Dens Park on Saturday.
And, once the first goal went in, only one result that was coming.
Dundee were back to being the Dundee we’ve seen for most of the season.
And they are back in the Scottish Cup last eight with a much-needed confidence booster at their back.
Tonic
February had been woeful for the Dark Blues – two games, two 6-0 defeats, it doesn’t get much worse.
But there’s now a far rosier feeling about things at Dens Park after this 4-0 victory.
Airdrie were the perfect opponent to follow two bad defeats.
A team that will take chances on the ball and have struggled all season – the Championship’s bottom side showed why they’ve been rock bottom of the second tier for so long.
They did have threat in attack and Jon McCracken had to be at his best at times to keep them out.
But Dundee knew how to hurt them.
They had scored from three corners in a 6-1 win back in August and it was the same route for goal No 1 this time around.
And the other three came directly from winning the ball back high up the pitch.
There were moments of fragility from Dundee, too often they were open on the break.
Mo Sylla’s athleticism was missed in the middle of the park and playing Lyall Cameron alongside Jordan McGhee doesn’t provide as much defensive cover. However, the pay off for that proved worth it at the other end.
And it was a hard-earned clean sheet in the end, a feat that shouldn’t be underestimated. Because there haven’t been nearly enough of them this season.
Two games into the Scottish Cup, they haven’t conceded a goal. But those two are the only shutouts since mid-October.
Goals
Dundee have now scored 29 goals in eight cup games this season and 66 in 33 in all competitions.
That’s also now 14 players who have found the net in dark blue after Clark Robertson opened his account for the club.
It was a moment of redemption for the big defender after a day to forget against Hearts last weekend.
Adewumi notched his fifth of the season but didn’t have a great game otherwise.
Lyall Cameron, however, was the star of the show after playing a part in all four goals. Two of those he finished himself to take his season tally to 10.
There was no sign of the media attention over his impending Rangers move affecting his play.
More pleasing was the reaction from the Dens Park crowd. Before taking the early corner that led to the first goal, there was applause from the Main Stand.
A nightmare first half for Airdrie 🫣
Dundee are 4-0 up at the break! ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️#BBCFootball #ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/UOvu1WhMvy
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) February 8, 2025
And there was an appreciation for his performance when Cameron was subbed in the second half.
The one black spot came in the second half – a silly yellow card means he’s suspended for the quarter-final.
Striker
Concerns over the make-up of the squad raised their heads. Dundee only have two strikers on the books right now.
Seb Palmer-Houlden was missing for this one, leaving Simon Murray as a quite literal lone striker on the day.
Murray was excellent and lead by example. Second half he raced back to chase an Airdrie man, chucked in a slide tackle and emerged with the ball.
Manager Tony Docherty said post-match Murray had yelled to his team-mates they must keep a clean sheet after that.
Proper leadership stuff.
But he was also absolutely knackered in the final 10 minutes. On another day that will be an issue.
Chespi
Dundee fans finally got a first look at their latest Mexican signing as Victor Lopez came off the bench.
A lovely flick set up a chance for Murray at one point but, aside from some tidy passes, not much else came off.
A first taste of the pace of Scottish football, even against an already-beaten Championship side, will have done him some good.
But, on this showing, he’s still got some work to do before he can push his way into the team.
Shaughnessy
This was the perfect chance to get skipper Joe Shaughnessy back out on the pitch in competitive action.
He played for the reserves in midweek and will do so again this week coming as the medical staff build him back up.
He’s not ready yet for full-blooded top-flight action but this was a big moment.
And a nice moment, too, when Murray handed him the captain’s armband as he came onto the field.
He’s been a big miss but patience will be needed before he’s back week in, week out.
His appearance capped a bright day for Dundee – a feeling they certainly needed after a dark week.
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