If ever Dundee needed a reality check about how tough life in the SPFL Championship will be this season, Saturday’s Ramsdens Cup tie at Recreation Park certainly provided it.
A Carlo Monti penalty on the hour his sixth goal in as many games ultimately proved to be the difference between the Dark Blues and Alloa and booked their spot in this week’s second round draw.
But even though it was comfortable enough in the end, Dundee are now under no illusions of just how tough it will be to bounce back to the top flight when the league season gets under way.
They will be favourites to win most games this term, and it’s a situation that man of the match Gavin Rae reckons will force his side to be on top of their game in each and every fixture they play no matter the competition.
“We’ve got quite a strong squad and people will be trying to beat us, but we know that,” he said. We know every game is going to be difficult I can’t remember ever having an easy game in football.
“Obviously we’re happy to go through but it was a tough game they always are at the start of the season. I thought Alloa played well and they made it really hard for us.
“But it was a good game for us because we got to see what Alloa are all about, and playing on the astroturf pitch was important for us too.
“You want to win every game you are in and it’s difficult starting the season with a cup tie but we’re just happy to go through.
“We want to win the title this year and it will be really difficult with cup games like these and playing in the league as well but hopefully we can do alright in every competition we’re in this season.”
There had been suggestions pre-match that Dundee may have taken to the field with a youthful line-up but it was a strong squad selected by boss John Brown.
The hosts started brightly and a long ball into the area by ex-Dundee United man Ross McCord was knocked into Stephen Simmons’ path by Daryll Meggatt in the third minute, but the Alloa midfielder screwed the chance over from 10 yards out.
Four minutes later the Wasps went close again, and it was another McCord ball causing problems.
His cross was headed back across goal by Andy Kirk and defender Gary Irvine was well placed to clear off the line after the ball had beaten keeper Kyle Letheren.
Dundee soon settled and a quick break ended with Peter McDonald playing Ryan Conroy in down the left in the 16th minute, but he dragged his effort just wide of Scott Bain’s goal.
After Rae was booked for a reckless challenge on Jonathan Tiffoney in 32 minutes, Alloa created the best chance of the half three minutes later.
A great flick by McCord deceived Iain Davidson down the left and his low ball into the box was only cleared as far as Kevin Cawley at the edge of the box. However, Cawley couldn’t keep his attempt down and the ball sailed well off target.
Dundee showed much more purpose after the break and the second half was only 16 seconds old when Jim McAlister forced Bain into a save with a volley from 25 yards.
Alloa had the ball in the net in the 50th minute following neat passing from Graeme Holmes, Kirk and Cawley in the area, but the latter’s finish was ruled out for offside.
Dundee fans were then claiming a penalty in 55 minutes when McDonald went down under Tiffoney’s challenge, but referee Kevin Clancy waved the protests away.
Five minutes later though, Michael Doyle’s trip on Monti in the area did prompt the official to point to the spot and gave Dundee the breakthrough they were looking for.
The former Celtic forward has netted in all of his pre-season games and wasn’t for giving the ball up to his team-mates, so it was he who converted by sending Bain the wrong way.
It was a goal Dundee had craved and they were pretty much in control from then on in.
After bookings for Kyle Benedictus and Meggatt, McDonald’s tenacity at the edge of the box allowed him a sight of goal in 74 minutes but he blasted wide.
Ryan Conroy was then forced off after taking an elbow to the temple going in for a challenge, but it did little to disrupt Dundee’s flow.
Sub Nicky Riley’s right-foot shot from 20 yards was well held by Bain, before the Dark Blues almost put an extra sheen on the scoreline in the final minute when McDonald’s header from a Willie Dyer corner clipped the top of the crossbar.
In the end though, one goal proved to be enough and anybody questioning whether or not Dundee are taking the Ramsdens Cup seriously was left in no doubt by boss Brown after the game.
“We want to win it,” he said.
“As I said to the boys, you don’t get many opportunities to win silverware in your career so this is an opportunity. Along with Rangers, Dundee will be one of the favourites, but this was a tough game for us.
“Full credit to Paul Hartley’s team, they are part-timers and they matched us for long periods. I thought they put us under severe pressure in the first half and it took us a while to get into our stride.
“They had a couple of set-pieces that caught us out early in the game, but the first goal is always important.
“Carlo maybe hasn’t had the best of games but he’s got the close control to win the penalty and he’s never missed a penalty so he tells me.
“That’s him scored in every game so far, a 100% record, so hopefully that will continue.
“We’re just relieved we’ve come out of the game getting into the next round because I heard a few teams who would have been fancied have gone down.
“Every game this season is going to be a cup final for the boys and we realise that if you are down as favourites, teams are going to want to make a name for themselves.”
Alloa boss Paul Hartley was happy with the way his team performed against a side he reckons will be firm favourites for the Championship this term, adding: “Overall, Dundee are the benchmark for us this year and we’ve shown that we can compete and we can play.
“We’ll not be scared of anyone this season, that’s for sure.
“The two or three games I’ve seen Dundee in pre-season they’ve killed teams because they had a different system with a back three so I thought I would match up, which stopped their better players playing and caused them problems.
“We’d like to have won the game but we know we’ll be underdogs this year and we’ve shown we can compete.”