RAB DOUGLAS made some important saves as Dundee scratched a point out of an ugly match at Fir Park but that was only half of his job.
The veteran goalkeeper was always audible above a Motherwell support whose frustration at a miserable home run was tangible. The Dundee centre-back pairing of Declan Gallagher and Kyle Benedictus kept trouble away from Douglas; in return he talked the youngsters through another lesson in the league.
"I think I am older than the two of them put together," said Douglas. It was a rare mis-step by the veteran on another good day for the bottom club. He is 40, his centre-backs have one more year between them.
"They are learning. They were probably a wee bit deep at the goal, at the lead up to the corner, but the last two games we have had a lot of injuries and these two are almost fearless, and that is a good thing. We have been in a pressure situation and it is credit to them.
"They have not got many games between the two of them and all they can do is learn. It is brilliant for them to be playing at that age. I think I was sitting on the bench at Meadowbank when I was that age. That is the comparison. They are thrown in at the deep end and are doing great."
Dundee shut down Stuart McCall's team for most of the game with the only lapse a Michael Higdon leveller late in the first half. The front two of Colin Nish and Steven Milne criss-crossed their way to a few half-chances; they look like a proper double act and Dundee look a more troublesome prospect than they did a few weeks ago.
"The first quarter wasn't great but we've now got to start," said Douglas. "The boys are getting used to each other and the pace of the SPL. It's been a quick learning curve. Three-quarters of the boys were probably signed for the first division and you have to deal with that, but we want to stay in this division. No disrespect, you want to play your football at the top level, even me at 40."
Dundee have been written off almost universally and Douglas said this is providing motivation for the long fight ahead. "That probably suits Dundee," he added. "We weren't getting in the SPL because the stands weren't ready the first time, the administration, it was like we didn't have the right to be there.
"I think the boys have finally twigged it's sink or swim and we're starting to swim together now."
For Motherwell, the tide is making progress difficult. Success has been sustained despite a shrinking budget and despite the loss of experienced players every summer. That momentum is currently stalling. They found their rhythm for a while before Dundee's opening goal from Nicky Riley, but their captain, Keith Lasley, admitted the squad is at full stretch before the mid-point of a season that began with Champions League qualifiers.
"Any squad would welcome the addition of new players," he said. "The manager, in any window, would try to strengthen the club, but for any club of this size it's difficult to get finance to bring people in.
"The players are as frustrated as anybody and the fans just want to see us winning matches. It's just not going for us. The fans will stick by us, they have been great in recent seasons, home and away and it's up to us to get the results that will get them more buoyant."
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