Dundee 1-1 Kilmarnock: Goliath Samson keeps Dundee at bay

Dundee were left frustrated as Kilmarnock endured a Dark Blue onslaught to claim a point at Dens Park.

With an inspired Gary Harkins at the centre of everything for Paul Hartley’s new-look Dundee, Killie were only really off the ropes for long enough to cancel out Harkins’ penalty-spot opener.

Craig Samson was the busiest man on the park in the aftermath as Hartley’s silky Dark Blues swept forward, but try as they might, they couldn’t find a way past Killie’s inspired keeper.

At the end of it all, Harkins, clearly exasperated by his side’s inability to make good on their superiority, summed the encounter up best.

“Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve,” he said.

“We worked them hard defensively, created a lot of chances and big Sammy had a great game. On another day we could have been looking at three points and a few more goals.

“But to be fair to Kilmarnock they’ve come here and taken a point and it’s a bit disappointing for us.”

The scale of Premiership new boys’ Dundee’s summer squad revamp was highlighted even before kick-off.

No fewer than nine new signings graced the Dark Blues’ starting XI, with only keeper Kyle Letheren and left back Willie Dyer surviving from the side that won promotion against Dumbarton back in May.

Nevertheless, the home side looked like a team who have been playing together for years against Killie, and Harkins wasn’t lost as to why.

“Good players can gel easily,” he said.

“It’s not a complicated game. You can put good players into most teams and they’ll get into the swing of it quickly. That’s what has happened here.

“I’m loving it personally too, it’s good to be in a role where the people behind you are picking you out in the pockets that you want to be in.”

Just such a scenario allowed Dundee to take the lead when Harkins surged into the box only to be brought down by Killie’s Mark Connolly.

Allan Johnston was unhappy with the penalty award, but Harkins wasn’t bothered and confidentally stoked his team ahead from the spot.

Optimism has been the overriding emotion at Dens Park all summer and it continued to swell in the aftermath of the Dark Blues’ opener.

But as the Dundee fans began to dream of a victorious return to the Premiership, Killie, sporting their colourful away kit, finally woke up.

With four new faces of their own on the field in the shape of Chris Chantler, penalty sinner Mark Connolly, Tope Obadeyi and Josh Magennis, the team in tangerine embarked on a seven minute spell of dominance prompting shudders around the majority of Dens Park before Craig Slater curled home a terrific 20-yard equaliser direct from a free-kick.

It was the least Allan Johnston’s side deserved at the time, but Dundee stuck to their game plan in the aftermath.

Killie were chasing shadows for the entire second half, with the home side free to poke and prod at their tentative opponents at will.

Samson kept his side in the game almost single-handedly, producing stunning stops from Harkins, the outstanding Paul McGowan and substitute Jim McAlister.

It wasn’t to be for Dundee, however a fact made plain when Peter MacDonald cracked the bar with a vicious free-kick at the death and while Killie will be happier with their point, the Dark Blues will surely feel they are destined for better things.