‘We showed a different side to our game’: Dundee boss Neil McCann hails team after win against Ross County

DUNDEE manager Neil McCann heaped credit on his players after they earned their first win and clean sheet away from home this season with a convincing 2-0 triumph at Ross County.

Mark O’Hara and Faissal El Bakhtaoui scored the goals as Dundee lifted themselves to ninth in the table.

McCann said: “It was two great goals but performance-wise it was good to beat Ross County, who have been playing well under Owen Coyle.

“We are showing signs of adaptability and flexibility that I have been working on. We showed a different side to our game by playing from the back.

“We got that first goal then became a different animal and hit on the counter.

“We have been poor this season and I think that’s the first away clean sheet Dundee have got and that’s really pleasing.

“I told the players that they are beginning to show glimpses of that hard work they are putting into training.

“I have to say Elliot Parish was brilliant with two clean sheets (in three games) and I am buzzing for him because he waited a long time to come in.

https://www.sundaypost.com/sport/football/ohara-and-el-bakhtaoui-on-target-for-dundee-in-win-at-ross-county/

“Mark O’Hara hit a wonderful goal and we have been encouraging him to go forward. He has that in the bag and he is starting to believe in himself now.”

Ross County slipped into the relegation play-off spot with the defeat but Coyle was calm in his reaction.

He said: “The boy (O’Hara) scored a 30-yard wonder strike and goals change games.

“We changed it at half-time and we forced the issue with pressure round about their goal without creating too much.

“But in saying that, Billy McKay was very unlucky with his header and Jamie Lindsay had a volley which to all intents and purposes looked like our equaliser.

“Had we done that, we could have pushed forward to try and win the game. That being said, we were committed to putting so many players forward that we were caught with a sucker punch with a couple of minutes to go.

“We maybe missed Jim O’Brien and his pasing ability because I didn’t think we passed the ball well today. And losing Andy Davies, our skipper, to injury, he is always going to be a big miss.”