St Johnstone booked a place in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup with a 1-0 Tayside win over Dundee.
Callum Davidson’s side took the lead on 20 minutes with Jason Kerr releasing Stevie May, who got himself ahead of the Dundee backline and passed to Guy Melamed who found the bottom left corner beyond the reach of Adam Legzdins.
Melamed netted for St Johnstone. (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)
The visitors made large appeals for a spot-kick on the half hour mark with May getting beyond Lee Ashcroft, looking to pull the trigger when the Dundee defender provided the challenge but Craig Napier was unmoved by the claims.
Dundee came into the game as the half wore on with Declan McDaid having a shot go just wide before almost pulling level 10 minutes before the interval with Paul McMullan dipping a shot towards goal that smashed off the crossbar.
The hosts had the ball in the net six minutes after the restart with Jordan Marshall sending a corner into the area which was dropped by Zander Clark. Danny Mullen prodded the ball into the net but the linesman chalked it off for a foul.
Disappointment for Dee. (Photo by Paul Devlin/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Craig Bryson linked up well with Ali McCann as St Johnstone went in the hunt for a second, Bryson & McCann building up a passage of play before finding David Wotherspoon who shot over the bar.
Dundee got a penalty on 75 minutes, Mullen being brought down by Clark, giving Napier no option but to point towards the spot. Up stepped Charlie Adam but a good save at the right-hand corner by Clark ensured Davidson’s team retained their lead.
St Johnstone were looking to ensure a last 16 space and had a chance to double the advantage with Glenn Middleton finding Wotherspoon, who sent an angled effort wide. Here are things we learned from the game as the Premiership side overcame their tough Championship test.
Dens battle
It wasn’t pretty or plain-sailing but St Johnstone did enough to secure their place in the next round of the Scottish Cup. They had a Clark penalty save and a goal chalked off to their advantage but the most important thing is a place in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.
Clark made a big save. (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
St Johnstone were productive at the right times and showed great resilience to progress, Dundee showing up well on the day.
St Johnstone cup run?
After the recent League Cup success, Davidson will be seeking another successful cup run and this was a good start on the road to turning a great season into a phenomenal one. It’s been a brilliant term so far and European football is still up for grabs alongside a potential Scottish Cup trophy.
Costly penalty
Charlie Adam is usually consistent from 12 yards out but a good Clark save thwarted the experienced midfielder. Dundee showed an intent in the second half and were unlucky not to rescue the game. A Championship trip to Ayr is next for James McPake’s side which is perfect to aid a response.
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