The first 20 minutes was quite positive with Dundee attacking and Tony Yogane made some good runs. But after this wee spell Motherwell too control of the game with their neat one touch football.
Dundee’s defence did well to hold out until the 33rd minute when Motherwell stepped up the pace with a fast move that opened up the Dark Blues. Emmanuel Longelo’s pass set up Maswanhise one on one against Luke Graham. He beat the defender for pace before angling a low shot through McCracken’s legs to score.
At least Dundee got to half-time and they will need to change things for the second half.
Joe Westley who had taken a knock and had been booked and he was replaced by Cameron Congreve, and straight away it looked much better.
Two minutes after the restart Congreve won a free kick on the right. Yan Dhanda played it short to the Welshman and he delivered a wicked curling cross to the far post for Luke Graham to run in and head home.
Only a minute later Dhanda dinked a cross to the near post and Simon Murray sent a diving header narrowly wide.
Murray should have put the Dark Blues ahead after 55 minutes. Congreve won the ball inside the penalty area and set up Murray for a tap in. Somehow the ball didn’t end up in the net and screwed past the post.
But at least things were looking up and Dundee were like a totally different team.
There were still two big scares for the Dark Blues, however. Maswanhise chased a long ball and hooked a cross across goal from the byline. McCracken and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos both went for the ball, which somehow evaded both of them before drifting across goal and past the post. The Australian striker suffered a painful collision with the near post and had to be substituted.
The Dark Blues lost Yan Dhanda after 85 minutes when he was shown a straight red card for the sort of challenge with studs on Lukas Fadinger that would have been barely noticed by referees once upon a time but is not tolerated now.
Dundee reorganised and sent on Imari Samuels and Callum Jones for Fin Robertson and Simon Murray. Six minutes of injury time and the Dark Blues handled them to get a well desrved draw.
At least it sets up next weeks game against Livingston at Dens this Saturday.
Dundee: McCracken, Wright, Astley, Clark Robertson, Graham, Finlay Robertson (Jones 90+2), Hamilton, Westley (Congreve at half time), Dhanda, Yogane (Hay 71), Murray (c) (Samuel 90+2)
Unused Subs: Carson (gk), Ingram, Koumetio, Acquah, Galabov.
Referee:Calum Scott
Att: 4,572
