Football: Donnelly's special delivery: Dundee pack defence for draw

Celtic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Dundee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

CELTIC may have collected a point which takes them into fourth place and keeps alive their European ambitions, but this was a frustrating and ultimately unsatisfactory night for them against a packed Dundee defence which refused to yield under second-half pressure.

The bright star for Celtic was Simon Donnelly, their 19- year-old striker. Celtic's fluent passing dominated the early stages and Paul Mathers was comprehensively beaten in the 18th minute when a John Collins corner was headed on by Mark McNally to Donnelly, who placed his header into the top corner of the net for his third goal in three starts.

However, that early strike failed to open any floodgates and Dundee equalised 10 minutes later in bizarre circumstances. John McQuillan aimed a low cross into the penalty area and, in attempting to clear, Lee Martin could do no more than screw the ball into the air and past his own goalkeeper.

Paul Tosh passed up an opportunity to put Dundee ahead early in the second half when he shot over the bar after outstripping the home defence. The home attacks were foundering through a lack of imagination until Lou Macari put on Brian McLaughlin, another of his promising young players. For a period the tricky winger injected new heart into the Celtic forward line but, as the impetus of his introduction waned, Dundee again came forward and Neil Duffy saw his looping header well saved by Carl Muggleton.

Celtic (4-4-2): Muggleton; Martin, McNally, Gillespie, Boyd; Vata, McStay, Galloway, Collins; McGinlay (McLaughlin, 59), Donnelly. Substitutes not used: O'Neil, Bonner (gk).

Dundee (5-3-2): Mathers; McQuillan, Blake, Vrto, J Duffy, Pittman; Shaw, N Duffy, Farningham; Britton, Tosh (Bain, 87). Substitutes not used: Paterson, Pageaud (gk).

Referee: L Thow (Perth).