It was an early start though and I didn't get much sleep, so after about 2 maybe 3 hours of kip I was up at half seven, showered, ready and out the door by an hour later.
I texted Stu that I was on my way and so the day began. We met up at Buchanan Galleries and walked round so I could lift my money then it was off to Sainsburys to get our vouchers for the cheap train journey. We both bought chewing gum, I never seen hide nor hair of it as it mysteriously disappeared.
Anyway after the ticketsw were booked it was off to Georgics Bar where Stu bought me the pint he owed me, i'm not a big fan of lager at 11 in the morning, though the Burger King I had soaked it up.
Onto the long train journey which was spent mostly by me and Stu talking about football memories and the people we talk to on MSN etc. Good laughs and banter all the way as we split a 2 litre bottle of cider between us between Glasgow and Perth.
Upon arrival in Dundee, we headed straight for the ground. Which, from the station isn't a half a trek! We had to ask for directions twice but we got there. I was pestered intermittently with calls from my pal Mick asking where we were and he seemed fairly surprised when I tod him we were outside Dens.
I got in for an Under 16 ticket at Dens, something I failed to do in our previous visit. Stu gpt us a pie and a coke and we headed for our seat, initially down near the front but we moved up the back with the singers as the crowd packed in.
Onwards to the game...
Dundee took the lead early, a turning shot from Leigh Griffiths beating Tuffey. Griffiths is a most talented player with a bright future ahead of him, a future as bright as his barnet one might say.
After this, Thistle turned it on, playing out of their skins as they tried to bring it level, a stone wall penalty denied by the referee akin to our game at Palmerston early in the season where a sure fire penalty was turned down and we went onto lose that game.
It seemed like we were doing everything but score, Simon Donnelly almost took the bar off the goal at the Shankly end, quite a strange thing to see us shooting towards our own fans in the 1st 45 rather than the 2nd.
So we went in at halftime a bit bewildered as to how we were losing. Onto the 2nd half.
I had predicted it, Stu had predicted, several Jags fans did too - and on the 48th minute, Gary Harkins scored for Dundee. I had a lot of respect for Gary as a Thistle player, he was easily the finest player in my short tenure at Firhill that I had seen. Not that I had much to compare him to but he stood out. That respect was thrown out the window when Gary ran towards the Jags fans when he scored.
One again the Jags would be denied goalscoring chance after goalscoring chance - Tony Bullock playing the game of his life denied us three times.
We never gave up, and despite being 2-0 down in the last five minutes we sang out hearts out willed the lads on.
We were top of the league for a week, but if we play like we did on Saturday and produce fruit. We'll be back there and we'll be hard to shift. There is nothing to fear about this league after seeing them all in action and I think if we can string together a good 2nd quarter us and the Dees will pull away at the top.
Defeated but defiant. Let's see how it goes eh?
Mon the Jags!
Thanks for reading,
Marc
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