Dundee boss James McPake knows his side got fortunate against Lowland League Bonnyrigg Rose – but a cup run could extinguish memories of a narrow escape.
The Dee looked set for an early shock exit from the Scottish Cup against the non-league outfit, down 1-0 as the clock struck 90 minutes. Jonathan Afolabi rose from the bench to send the game to extra-time, Dundee eventually winning 3-2.
McPake doesn’t want to take anything away from Bonnyrigg but he knows his Dundee side must learn from this encounter: “It was a no-win situation for us but it was still really poor.
“We weren’t at the level we have been at. Luckily we got away with it and we are in the hat for the next round. Credit to Bonnyrigg, they were excellent and made it really hard for us.
“When you have the players with the quality we do we always knew the chances would come but the ball was hitting the bar, goalie making great saves and you start to wonder whether it’s just one of those nights.
“Thankfully, we got it and showed character to get through. Their performance warranted a live game on TV so they could show why they are doing so well in their league and why the Lowland League is a good one.
“It didn’t show the best of us, we know that. We’ll address that but now we are seven unbeaten. It was night and day from the Hearts performance but we are in the hat and if we go on a cup run, no one will remember this game.”