Wright place right time as Dundee grab crucial three points

Posted Sunday, February 17, 2019 by PA

Scott Wright’s 25-yard free kick earned Dundee a vital away win against a Livingston side who played for 75 minutes with 10 men following Shaun Byrne’s early red card.

Wright, on loan from Aberdeen, curled a shot in to the top corner after Keaghan Jacobs had brought down Jesse Curran outside the penalty box.

Byrne had been dismissed for a high boot on Dundee’s Andy Dales just minutes before Craig Halkett put Livingston in front from close range.

Andy Nelson’s equaliser drew Dundee back into it before Wright struck to earn Jim McIntyre’s side the win.

Livingston had made two changes to the team that had drawn 0-0 with Hearts in their previous outing. In came Jacobs and Scott Robinson, the latter making his first appearance of 2019, with Steve Lawson and Stevie Lawless dropping to the bench. Dundee stuck with the same starting line-up that had drawn 2-2 with Kilmarnock.

Both teams traded early chances – Nelson headed over from a great position for Dundee, while Ryan Hardie had an effort for Livingston blocked – before the home side were reduced to 10 men after just 14 minutes when Byrne was shown a straight red card.

Wright then missed a glorious chance to take immediate advantage when he scooped his shot over the crossbar, and that would come back to haunt Dundee when Livingston went up the pitch and scored.

Alan Lithgow’s long throw-in was touched on by Declan Gallagher to Halkett who poked in his shot via the post for Livingston’s first goal since December 29.

Dundee, though, would enjoy a lot of pressure and drew level after 54 minutes.

Wright’s cross from the right was perfectly-weighted and Nelson atoned for his earlier misses by glancing a header over the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net.

Substitute Paul McGowan could then have put Dundee in front only to slash his shot wide of target, while, in a rare Livingston counter attack, Hardie was inches wide with a curled effort that drifted just the wrong side of the far post.

Livingston thought they had won a penalty late in the game when Dundee substitute Curran appeared to trip Lawless in the box only for the forward to be booked for simulation.

That would come back to haunt Livingston when Wright curled in a free kick after 83 minutes for a win that lifts them up to 10th place in the table.