The first of February saw Hearts smash six goals past Dundee as they seemingly headed for top six while the Dark Blues season took a turn for the worse.
The Jambos were on the up, the Dee were on a downer.
That win opened up a three-point gap between the teams.
Fast forward to the next league meeting almost three months later and there is once again just a three-point gap between the sides.
February saw Neil Critchley hailed as the man to sort out Hearts, come April and the Dee have done for the Englishman.
He was sacked after a 1-0 home defeat to Dundee.
It was a gutsy, hard- and well-earned victory for Tony Docherty’s men as they showed the defensive nous that has eluded them far too often this term.
What a difference to that bad, bad day at Dens.
Courier Sport was at Tynecastle to witness a crucial victory for the Dark Blues.
Clean sheet
There haven’t been nearly enough clean sheets for Dundee this season, they remain bottom of the league for that particular metric.
But that’s two in the last three games.
Everyone played their part in this one, injuries and disruption in defence meant there was no other way.
Jordan McGhee wasn’t fit enough to feature and Ryan Astley was chosen to take his right-back berth.
The young defender impressed in an important position.
Inside him were Joe Shaughnessy and Clark Robertson. The two experienced men were imperious.
Between them they made 31 clearances, repelling cross after cross.
Trevor Carson in goal was excellent and a Man of the Match contender while Ziyad Larkeche impressed again at left-back but had to limp off in the second half.
His replacement Imari Samuels got away with one error but both he and Ethan Ingram played their parts from the bench.
Being part of this defensive performance will do their confidence – and the team’s confidence – no harm at all.
New midfield maestro?
The team selection brought some head scratching.
There were four centre-backs named in the starting XI and a left-back – was it a return to the back three?
No, Dundee were trying something new.
Mo Sylla was struggling said Tony Docherty and with no like-for-like replacement available someone else had to step in.
Portales had played there before this season, seeing out Dundee’s last away clean sheet back in October at Motherwell.
But this was a risky move.
Early on he was clearly a player playing out of position with Hearts movement dragging him around.
At every opportunity the central defenders behind Portales were telling him what they needed.
The bench were telling him to push up, his defender’s instinct kicking in by dropping too deep. Even in the second half Docherty and his staff were coaching the Mexican.
But the more the match wore on the more comfortable he looked. And there was still the odd opportunity for a classic Portales slide.
A tactical switch from Hearts at half-time actually made life easier for Portales.
Jorge Grant is a clever player and he played a big role in Portales’ early discomfort, dragging the Mexican out of position.
But Critchley brought on Musa Drammeh to partner Elton Kabangu, dispensing with a No 10 and giving Portales a far more comfortable second period.
It was a big risk from Tony Docherty but it paid off.
Simon Murray
It doesn’t bear thinking about where Dundee would be without their talisman.
Simon Murray is now on 22 goals for the season, 16 in the Premiership and is level at the top of the scoring charts with Celtic’s Daizen Maeda.
Only Kane Hemmings (21) and Nacho Novo (19) have scored more top-flight goals in a season since Tommy Coyne rattled in 33 in 1987/88.
That’s eight in his last nine appearances, too.
This one was a proper striker’s goal. He quickly realised he wasn’t getting to the cross and moved into a position to pick up any scraps.
The ball fell for Murray and there was no mistake in the finish.
A leader on the park, not just for his team-mates but the fans in the sold-out away end. Before kick off, Murray got the Dundee supporters revved up.
His goal helped that before the final whistle sparked a sprint across the pitch to celebrate with the supporters.
FT Hearts 0-1 Dundee
What a win, massive 3 pts for Dee
Simon Murray with the winner, huge defensive performance, players leaving everything out there
And the fans enjoyed it too! pic.twitter.com/LirMEkzgtk
— George Cran (@di_cranio) April 26, 2025
That’s despite running out of gas with about five minutes left after yet another incredible shift.
Like Shaughnessy, Carson and Clark Robertson, Murray led by example.
Out on their feet
Just how hard Dundee worked in this game should not be overlooked.
Hearts had 74% possession, the Dark Blues were chasing the ball all afternoon.
Seb Palmer-Houlden had a tough shift against James Penrice but stuck to his task and his race was run after 63 minutes.
Larkeche followed 20 minutes later, Ryan Astley ran out of steam as did Portales.
Lyall Cameron on his return in midfield was running on empty, Murray too was out on his feet.
They were knackered but they kept going, doggedly getting the job done.
That sheer effort was well-rewarded with a vital three points.
Three points that lifted Dundee out of the bottom two.
Conversation