Kilmarnock 2-2 Dundee: Three things we learned

By Laurie Finlayson

Rugby Park played host to a cracker to round off 2023

Kilmarnock and Dundee played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at Rugby Park in the team’s final fixture of 2023. Let’s look back at the best of the action:

Del vs Doc provides the drama

Derek McInnes faced off against his long-term assistant manager Tony Docherty and it was a thrilling affair.

 

Killie, despite their good form, had a poor start. Dundee put on the pressure and eventually, it paid off as Luke McCowan rifled the ball home from distance to give the visitors the lead after 35 minutes. Overall, the first half was a forgetful affair with the only real moment of note was Killie’s Brad Lyons picking up an injury and being replaced by Rory McKenzie just before the break.

 

McInnes, clearly not satisfied with his team’s performance in the first half, made another substitution with midfielder Liam Polworth taking the place of defender Robbie Deas, prompting a change of shape from the home side. This appeared to have the desired effect with Killie having more control in the game and testing the Dundee defence with greater regularity.

 

Eventually, the pressure told as Killie drew level with five minutes of normal time left as Jor Wright headed the ball in from a Gary Mackay-Steven corner. This, however, wasn’t the end of the drama, but perhaps just the beginning. The home side, clearly not happy with simply sharing the spoils, continued to push for a winner, and they thought they got just that when McKenzie poked the ball beyond Trevor Carson after another pinpoint cross from Mackay-Steven to make it 2-1 to Kilmarnock with 93 minutes played. The fourth official’s board indicated there would be four minutes added on, so Killie thought they had snatched defeat from the jaws of with a minute left to play. However, Killie conceded a corner right at the death. Dundee captain Joe Shaughnessy was left unmarked and rose above everyone to beat Will Dennis in the Kilmarnock goal to ensure the points were shared

A draw was a fair outcome overall

Statistically, the match was a relatively even one, with the home side having taken more shots and had a couple more efforts on target. Dundee only had two efforts on target, both of which resulted in goals. The two sides were also evenly matched in terms of expected goals (xG), with Killie’s figure being 0.69 and Dundee’s 0.53. This equates to a total xG of 1.22 goals, so to get four goals out of what the statisticians may view as a one-goal game shows the defences weren’t on top in Ayrshire. A draw was a fair reflection of the game, but the four goals were perhaps not on the cards.

Both sides have an unbeaten end to a strong year

Both sides will look back fondly on 2023.

Killie secured their Premiership status in May, had a strong summer window and now look to be top-six and potential European contenders with victories over both sides of the Old Firm and a first visit to the national stadium in over a decade. McInnes’ men sit fourth in the table, a far cry from this time last year.

Marley Watkins celebrates scoring the Kilmarnock in their Viaplay Cup victory over Celtic (Image: Getty Images)

 Dundee, of course, got promoted as Scottish Championship winners at the first time of asking under the stewardship of Gary Bowyer. The Englishman moved on just days after lifting the title, only to be replaced by the then Kilmarnock assistant manager Docherty, who has simply picked things up from where Bowyer left off as the Dee sit seventh going into the new year.

 

Killie kick-off 2024 with a trip to Ibrox to face Rangers, while Dundee welcomes Tayside rivals St Johnstone to Dens Park. Keep an eye on these two teams over the course of 2024, they may spring a few surprises.

SportLaurie Finlayson