Dundee have been the great entertainers in the Premiership this season.
Results haven’t always followed, though. As the league table clearly shows.
On Saturday against St Mirren the Dark Blues discarded the entertainers tag and picked up the winners one.
Boy was it needed.
And so too was a long-awaited clean sheet in the league. A wait that lasted over five months.
Courier Sport was at Dens Park to take in the action.
More Murray magic
That’s two seasons running Murray has topped 20 goals – 15 Premiership strikes is his best return yet, though.
And he’s chasing a Dundee record after netting in six consecutive league matches for the Dark Blues.
Since the Second World War only David Clarkson and the greatest Dee goalscorer Alan Gilzean have scored in six league matches in a row. Clarkson would add a seventh before scoring in his eighth game, a Scottish Cup tie.
Gilzean scored in eight straight games but two were in the cup.
The next game comes at Easter Road, his old stomping ground and a venue he’s already scored at this season.
These two finishes showed proper striker instinct. The first saw him alive to any opportunity as the ball bounced off Seun Adewumi and perfectly into his path.
The second was all about his reaction after Zac Hemming whacked the ball off Murray and then remarkably failed to do anything about the Dundee frontman’s finish from 40 yards.
Murray has been a sensational signing for the Dark Blues – only Kane Hemmings and Nacho Novo have scored more top-flight goals in a season since the turn of the century.
And those totals of 21 and 19 respectively could still be chased down.
Si for Scotland?
So what about Scotland? Does Murray realistically have a chance to force his way into Steve Clarke’s squad at the end of the season?
Tony Docherty reiterated his belief that his star striker should be in the Scotland squad after notching his 20th and 21st goals of the season.
Michael Stewart on Sportscene talked up his chances too.
He’s the top scoring Scotsman in the top-flight and striking options are thin on the ground for the national team.
In terms of Scotland-based talent, the last squad saw Kevin Nisbet and James Wilson called up.
Nisbet has nine Premiership goals while Wilson has five. Age is on their side compared to 33-year-old Murray with Nisbet 28 and Wilson only 18.
But purely for goalscoring ability – never mind his non-stop work ethic and influence off the pitch – Murray should be in the conversation.
And if he keeps on scoring, Clarke won’t be able to ignore the Dundee man.
Clean sheet
Dundee’s two goals moved the Dark Blues past last season’s league goal tally with six matches to spare.
But it was at the other end that this game was won.
Goals win games but Dundee always score and they don’t always win.
This time was different.
This may not have been a classic Dundee performance with the ball, in fact it’s the worst they’ve played in weeks.
But solid defending throughout the 95 minutes earned the points with a first league shut out since October.
Dundee’s defence has taken a pounding this season. On this afternoon they stood up to that pounding in a literal sense.
Clark Robertson returned to the starting XI, paired with Joe Shaughnessy for the first time and the duo were excellent.
Every cross, every long ball was repelled. Even when they weren’t, St Mirren didn’t have the quality to finish things off. You need that wee bit of luck sometimes, too.
There was a confidence at the back with three very experienced campaigners immediately in front of the goal in Shaughnessy, Robertson and Trevor Carson.
Billy Koumetio returned too and did well, keeping things simple. There was one moment where his instinct may have been to take a wee chance and look for a pass, instead he just shelled the ball over the home dugout with Toyosi Olusanya loitering.
In most games this season the final 10 minutes would have been stressful, shaky and full of trouble.
This finale was boring – and that’s fully to Dundee’s credit.
Things looking up?
Dundee’s injury list has been a lengthy one throughout much of this season.
In a tight squad that takes its toll.
Saturday was different. Clark Robertson, Koumetio, Seb Palmer-Houlden and Antonio Portales were all back.
Ryan Astley and Chespi were both fit but left out of the squad entirely.
Suddenly Tony Docherty has options to choose from.
He has more defenders than he knows what to do with now – the bench had five defenders on it.
If the manager wants to change his midfield he has Cesar Garza, Jordan McGhee can step in there while Lyall Cameron will be back soon.
In attack Palmer-Houlden is a big plus, Charlie Reilly has been a useful sub and Chespi is there if he can prove his readiness for Scottish football in the weeks to come.
The make-up of the squad isn’t ideal but it looks far stronger now than it has for some time.
They have a striker on a real goalscoring tear and a defence that has suddenly remembered what it feels like to keep a clean sheet.
Dundee are still 11th in the Premiership table but things are starting to look up for the Dee.
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