Cove Rangers were put to the sword by Dundee as three second-half goals earned them a Championship victory at Dens Park.
Zach Robinson, Alex Jakubiak and Lyall Cameron all found the net to ensure the points stayed in Dundee.
Mitch Megginson skewed a shot into the side-netting after 11 minutes, before Dundee pair Luke McCowan and Barry Maguire both had speculative efforts over the bar.
Cameron was next to try his luck, after indecision between Morgyn Neill and Scott Fox saw the ball break to him. With Fox retreating to his goal, Cameron could not find the target.
Jordan McGhee had a go five minutes before the break from 25 yards, but it was a game dreadfully low on quality.
Goalie Fox, fresh from his heroics against Partick Thistle eight days ago, then produced a smart stop to tip over Cameron’s rising attempt.
But it was a Fox error that handed Dundee the lead five minutes into the second half, with substitute Robinson coming in from the byline and taking aim, with the Cove goalkeeper fumbling the ball into the net.
One became two shortly after, with Robinson this time laying it on a plate for Jakubiak to roll the ball into the net.
And it could have been three just after the hour when Cameron was bundled to the turf by Gime Touré inside the box. The former Peterhead loanee took the spot-kick, but Fox sprung to his right to keep it out.
Substitute Tony Weston had a rare shot at goal for Cove in the second period, before Cameron made amends with a smart finish into the bottom corner.
Cove punished following defensive approach
The Aberdeen side clearly came into the game with the plan to frustrate Dundee and, for 45 minutes, it worked.
Cove sat in their own half, denied Dundee space and allowed them to overhit passes and take pot-shots.
But the downside to such an approach is that the moment you go behind, it becomes redundant.
It took just six minutes of the second half to undo a lot of Cove’s work, with Robinson and Jakubiak scoring in quick succession. Cameron then capped off an impressive display with a goal of his own.
For a side that defended manfully in victory against Partick the week previous, it was disappointing in the way they fell away here.
Dundee substitutions make an impact
Kwame Thomas offered little in the first half in an isolated forward role.
But Dee boss Gary Bowyer was decisive at the break and made two changes to revive a struggling attack, bringing on Robinson and Jakubiak for Thomas and Luke McCowan.
It paid dividends, with both finding the net within two minutes of each other.
They offered greater dynamism and a more direct threat to the Cove defence, who had dealt with all which was thrown at them in the first period.
Dens Park pitch suited neither side
Neither side will have been happy with the state of the surface at Dens.
Both goal-mouths had bare patches, while there was a sizeable area close to the half-way line that had no grass on it.
There were other areas that looked rutted and muddy.
Both Dundee and Cove tried to hit their strikers and play off them, but the ball was difficult to bring under control.
Given Cove are used to playing on an artificial surface which facilitates a free-flowing game, their status as underdogs at Dens meant they probably did not mind a difficult surface.
It allowed them to dig in, sit deep and frustrate their opponents. But, by the same token, when they went behind it was harder to get back in the game.
Player ratings
DUNDEE (4-2-3-1) – Legzdins 6; Fisher 6, Sweeney 6, Ashcroft 6 (Williamson 81), Kerr 6, Maguire 6 (Mulligan 81), Cameron 7, McMullan 7 (Hannant 82), McGhee 6, McCowan 5 (Robinson 46), Thomas 5 (Jakubiak 46). Subs not used – Sharp, Marshall, Anderson, Tolaj.
COVE RANGERS (4-3-3) – Fox 5; Naismith 5, Ross 6, Neill 6, Logan 6, Bangala 5 (McIntosh 59), Virtanen 6, Scully 6, Longstaff 5, Megginson 6 (Weston 70), Dunne 5 (Touré 59). Subs not used – Gourlay, McClelland, Vigurs, Glass, Reynolds.
Referee – Craig Napier 6.
Attendance – 4,208.
Star man
Lyall Cameron – Always a lively presence in the middle of the park and got forward ably to support the Dundee forward line.
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