IAN McCall felt his Partick Thistle side lacked sufficient attacking guile as Paul McGowan’s first-half strike saw his team suffer their first defeat at Firhill since October.

“I don’t think we did enough to win, but we certainly didn’t deserve to lose,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how you play, it’s about results.

“We just need to kick on from here. I just don’t think we had enough players in goal-scoring positions, I think we huffed and puffed in the second half.”

Dundee began the game brightly and could have been ahead after four minutes when Cammy Kerr’s inviting first-time cross from the right met the head of Danny Johnson, but the striker’s effort lacked direction.

Kenny Miller came within inches of opening the scoring for the hosts when his shot, following a Reece Cole counter, crashed off the underside of the bar. It then fell to Joe Cardle at the corner of the six-yard box but the winger was unable to send the ball through the forest of limbs between him and the goal.

Thistle were growing into the game and just as things were starting to click for the home side, Dundee broke the deadlock. After a drilled delivery from Kane Hemmings, McGowan darted in at the near post to rifle the ball past Scott Fox.

Thistle captain Tam O’Ware came close to equalising when he connected with Cole’s corner but his glancing header was just wide of the far post as the game reached half time.

Fox kept Partick in the game with two excellent stops in quick succession after the restart and Miller went close to levelling the scores after getting on the end of Ryan Williamson’s delicately chipped cross, only for his header to be deflected to go behind for a corner.

On the hour, Hemmings nearly doubled Dundee’s advantage with a low shot towards the far post, but it took a nick off Steven Saunders and rolled agonisingly wide. Minutes later the same man was afforded the freedom of Firhill as he hit a well-struck volley from the edge of the box but Fox produced a superb stop to deny him.

The Thistle keeper then pulled off a magnificent save to thwart Dorrans whose shot from the edge of the area looked destined to nestle into the bottom corner until Fox got a strong hand to it.

Thistle’s last real opportunity forced an excellent stop from Jack Hamilton, who was at full stretch to tip Miller’s shot from just inside the box behind for a corner, and Dundee held on to record a deserved win as they moved level on points with Ayr in third place.

Dundee manager James McPake was pleased with his side’s performance but thought the margin of victory could have been greater.

“It was a really good performance and a game that we saw out pretty comfortably. If we won 3-0 there would have not many complaints,” he said.