A powerful header from new striker Jean Mendy wasn’t enough to get Dundee’s pre-season programme off to a winning start at Glebe Park.
The Dark Blues, who changed their whole team at half-time, took the lead in this friendly against Brechin thanks to the Senegalese frontman’s goal on 59 minutes.
City pulled themselves level on 68 minutes, though, when their trialist striker Boris Melingui shot home from close range.
It was reward for a fine display from the hosts, who may just have found a decent player in Melingui.
At kick-off, there was a healthy crowd inside enjoying the evening sunshine.
With the World Cup in Russia having a rest day, all roads led to the Glebe.
It was tentative stuff in the early stages, however, with both sets of players taking time to shake the rust off their legs.
Indeed, the game had passed the quarter-of-an-hour mark when Dundee’s Jack Lambert won a freekick 20 yards out but from an excellent, central position the same player fired the setpiece well over the Brechin bar.
The Dark Blues had the first serious chance of the match on 18 minutes when Nathan Ralph floated over a corner from the right and Genseric Kusunga rose the highest to power in a header that hit the bar before being cleared.
City’s Callum Tapping then sent a freekick into the visitors’ box on 23 minutes but goalkeeper Elliott Parish did well to clutch the ball out of the air.
The Dens men missed another opportunity on the half-hour when striker Sofien Moussa and Cedwyn Scott both took too long to tee up a shot and City cleared.
Too many of Dundee’s passes were going astray in the final third and when Jamie Spence had a go at goal it was from distance and drifted wide.
There was an opening for the home team on 41 minutes when a slip from Kharl Madianga on the halfway line let in Brechin’s trialist number nine. He raced towards goal but was pushed wide and didn’t get a proper contact on his shot.
Seconds before the break, Madianga did well to send over a dangerous ball into the City goalmouth but Moussa couldn’t convert.
It was all change at the interval for the Dens men, who brought on a totally different team.
A long ball upfield on 48 minutes looked promising for Dundee’s Mendy but he had strayed just offside.
Dark Blues defender Steven Caulker let fly from 25 yards on 58 minutes but a couple of Brechin legs took the sting out of it and keeper Paddy O’Neil gathered easily.
Just a minute later, though, Dundee were ahead.
The scorer was Mendy, who powered a header home after he was found by a Randy Wolters freekick. It was a decent effort from the former Lokeren and Kristiansund player.
However, with 68 minutes on the clock there was an equaliser for Brechin when their number 16 trialist Melingui, who had come on at half-time for the number nine, stabbed the ball home after being found by Kalvin Orsi’s cross.
Dundee tried to hit back and it took a superb save from O’Neil to keep out Josh Meekings’ strike on 70 minutes.
The Angus men were putting up some tough resistance as the Premiership side looked for a winner.
In the final minute, it looked like Brechin might finally falter but Wolters’ deflected drive spun just past the far post for a corner.
Attendance: 851.
Brechin City: Starting team: O’Neil, McLean, Burns, Trialist, Hill, Trialist, Spark, Tapping, Trialist, Orsi, Smith.
Dundee: First half: Parish, Curran, Kusunga, Moore, Ralph, Moussa, Madianga, Spence, Waddell, Scott, Lambert. Second half: Hamilton, Kerr, Caulker, Kamara, Ngwatala 10, Mendy 11, Wolters 23, Meekings 24, Jefferies 25, Wighton 33, Trialist 16. Sub: Anderson.
Referee: Mike Roncone.
