4 Dundee talking points as Premiership survival is sealed – Lyall Cameron’s perfect goodbye and why was there a pitch invasion?
The Dark Blues will be top flight competitors again next term.
Dundee will be a Premiership club for the third consecutive season.
This is only the second time in the last 20 years that the club has been able to say this.
However, narrow survival was not the plan at the beginning of the season.
Much more was expected. However, Dundee survived and pushed the yo-yo club tag further behind them.
It would be a 10th-place finish, with the campaign culminating in a final-day victory over St Johnstone and a pitch invasion.
Courier Sport visited McDiarmid Park to identify key talking points.
Job completed.
Tony Docherty’s side had been on a dreadful run since a 6-0 home defeat to Hearts.
Indeed, heading into the post-split fixtures, the Dark Blues had been in the relegation play-off spot for the previous two months.
Seven points from the 15 available post-split saw the Dee increase their one-point deficit to Ross County to four points.
That doesn’t quite capture the range of emotions Dundee has experienced over the last few days.
Disbelief and anger over being denied safety against the Staggies in midweek was followed by nervousness at McDiarmid Park.
They needed a result to ensure that County could not overtake them on the final day.
Lyall Cameron opens the scoring. Image: SNS.
Lyall Cameron’s opening goal calmed the nerves, though Ross County’s opening goal in Dingwall did not help.
By the time Steven McLean pointed to the spot for a penalty in the 97th minute, County had lost their lead and Dundee’s chances of relegation.
Fans
Dundee fans could have been forgiven for calling it quits at various points during a largely disappointing season.
But they kept returning for more.
A large crowd flocked to Tynecastle for the Scottish Cup quarterfinal, but were disappointed. Losing so many late goals throughout the season would be enough to wear down the average fan.
But they kept coming back.
Dundee fans quickly snapped up their initial allocation of approximately 2,900 tickets for this event.
That is usually enough to meet demand for this fixture, but more was required.
Tony Docherty expressed gratitude to the large crowd for their support.
The team responded and eventually got safety over the queue.
Supporters’ emotions poured out, as did the supporters from the stands.
The sense of relief after a long season is understandable.
However, a pitch invasion after finishing 10th deserves the mockery it is receiving online.
There’s simply no need for it, guys.
If fans had remained in the stands, players from both teams could have come and expressed their gratitude in person. A number of Dundee players would also say their farewells.
But the pitch invasion prevented that from happening.
There is a time and place for it, but this was not it.
Farewell
Lyall Cameron did not want his Dundee career to end in a relegation play-off.
If he could have chosen the ideal way to conclude, this was it.
Not just at McDiarmid Park, but throughout the last week. Dundee scored five goals in the final three games, with Cameron scoring four of them and setting up the other.
When the going gets tough, you need your key players to deliver big moments. Cameron did exactly that.
Lyall Cameron’s final touch as a Dundee player saw him find the net from the penalty spot. Image: Paul Devlin/SNS
It will be difficult to see him return to Dens Park next season wearing a Rangers shirt, but there is no doubting his impact as a Dee.
Cameron made his 95th start for the club and 119th appearance overall. During that time, he scored 33 goals.
This season, nine of those came in the Premiership, with 14 across all competitions.
Talented young players are frequently snatched up by larger clubs before they even make their first-team debut.
But Dundee got a lot out of Cameron during his three seasons there, including a Championship title, a top-six finish, and strong performances when they needed them this season.
It was fitting for Lyall Cameron that his final touch of the ball as a Dundee player resulted in the goal.
He will be missed, but this was the ideal way to say goodbye.
Big summer ahead.
Cameron is not the only player departing this summer.
Dens Park is going to be very busy. Lots of ins and outs.
As it stands, 10 of the 20 players in Sunday’s matchday squad are set to leave, either at the end of their contracts or as loans expire.
Jordan McGhee and Seun Adewumi are also out due to injuries.
Some will re-sign in the coming weeks, but there will also be opportunities to improve the squad’s quality.
Dens Park does not intend to endure another season of struggling to avoid relegation.
They’ve made it through a difficult season just about. The focus is now on preparing a better one for next term.
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