Ne’er cast a cloot till May be oot, muttered those wise grannies shuffling along Sandeman Street as they watched folk trot through the Dens Park turnstiles but here we all were, discarding the semmits and stockings in favour of shades and short sleeved serks . Summer football eh? It’ll never catch on.

It was a grand night for a game but this was never going to be a classic with not much at stake. Dundee have the incentive of finishing the best of the rest in the league and a earning a few more quid that comes with seventh place but they dropped to eighth after this draw. Kilmarnock, of course, are already condemned to that second-bottom spot and have two massive play-off games to come as they try and safeguard their 23-year stay in the top flight. The fact that Lee Clark, the manager, rested Rory McKenzie and Kallum Higginbotham, who are both just one booking away from a suspension, simply demonstrated that there are far bigger games on his mind. This was an exercise in damage limitation rather than points accumulation but after a lack lustre display in the first half they rallied to pinch a share of the spoils. “We won’t start like that in the play-off,” insisted Clark, who knows that kind of slap-dash start could be highly costly in the showdown with either Hibernian or Falkirk. “We were lethargic, we were flat but we had a good talk at half-time and the difference was huge in the second-half. The best feeling in this game is winning, but if you can’t win then don’t lose.”

Clark’s opposite number, Paul Hartley, was left to rue the chances that slipped away. “We had enough chances to win by four or five,” said the Dundee manager, whose team now travel to Inverness at the weekend for a match that will decide which team grabs seventh place. “We have to finish teams off and that’s something we have to improve on next year.”

On a bright night, another bright display from Dundee’s highly-rated Greg Stewart caught the eye. “I hope we can keep him,” added Hartley as he prepares to stave off potential buyers. “Can we keep him? I don’t know.”

The hosts performed the majority of the menacing thrusts in the opening period and Stewart’s free-kick was saved by the legs of Jamie MacDonald.

Rory Loy had better luck on 18 minutes, though. With his back to goal, he got a telling flick of the head on to Nick Ross’s cross and the ball drooped into the top corner.

Ross may have been orchestrator there but he almost gifted Kilmarnock an unlikely equaliser as the half meandered to a conclusion. With Scott Bain out of position, Ross’s dicey back pass to his keeper had the Dundee custodian scampering across his goal in a furious haste as he displayed some nifty footwork to clear the danger. Not long after that, Dundee had a chance to make it two as Loy burst clear but his shot was well blocked by MacDonald.

The prolific Kane Hemmings had a similar chance right on the stroke of half-time but having darted in on goal, MacDonald’s legs once again came to the rescue of Kilmarnock.

The home side would pay for that profligacy within 10 minutes of the resumption as Kilmarnock got themselves back on level terms. Craig Slater, who replaced Julian Faubert at half-time, flung in a cross and Conrad Balatoni plonked his header into the net to the delight of the 96 travelling fans.

The visitors were certainly a more sprightly outfit in this second period although they survived a scare not long after they had restored parity. Ross chased down a through ball and collided with the on-rushing MacDonald as he bounded from his line to intercept the danger. The howls for a penalty were robust but it was one of those 50-50 clatterings and the referee, Don Robertson, was having none of it.

Dundee tried to up the ante in the later stages. Stewart, always full of industry and invention, found some space in the box but his powerful swipe was well saved by MacDonald. The Kilmarnock keeper then foiled Arturo as he leaped to his left to pluck the Dundee substitute’s header out of the air.

The hosts would have one final chance to win it in the last knockings but, somewhat, inevitably, MacDonald got in the way again. Etxabeguren’s knock down fell into the path of Arturo but from barely six yards, his weak jab was clutched on the line .

In their final home game, the Dundee players set off on a lap of honour as the whistle blew. The Kilmarnock players have a bit to do yet before they can enjoy a similar send off.