Morton 0 Dundee 1 DUNDEE boss Jocky Scott summed up this result when he said: "We were a bit fortunate, but we'll take that." Rarely will Morton have so many chances to score without converting one, but that is the only thing that matters at the end of the day.

There was little between the teams on a lovely October afternoon and it eventually took a superb finish by little Dens striker Leigh Griffiths to separate them.

It was what prompted Dundee to part with a six-figure transfer fee to lure the wee man from Livingston. And it is that quality in the final third of the pitch which makes the Dark Blues the favourites for the title.

Caretaker Ton boss James Grady said afterwards: "I think we more than matched them for 89 minutes of the game. We created the best chances, but obviously they didn't go in. Tony Bullock [the Dundee goalkeeper] I think had a fantastic game.

"But again it's that wee cutting edge that's missing. We played probably as well as we did against Queen of the South in terms of possession, being patient, coming out and getting our full-backs forward and creating chances. We just didn't get them in this time.

"I'm gutted for the lads because they gave everything. They are in there off their feet." In a reference to Dundee striker Leigh Griffiths, Grady then said: "That's what you get when you pay £125,000. One chance he got and he took it. It was a great finish from the boy.

"I would still like to see it on the DVD to see if it was offside or not. The boys are saying it was tight, the linesman said it was very tight. It's just one of these things.

"It changed the outcome of the game from being a very positive outcome for ourselves against the title favourites. With the amount of chances we had it is very disappointing." Five of these opportunities fell to Ryan McGuffie, but a combination of fine goalkeeping, some bad luck and one bad miss combined to deny the player who got himself into some excellent positions.

Grady commented: "That's what Ryan is saying. He is saying that on any other day he would have got three out of the five. Not to get one out of the five is very disappointing.

"But I can't be too despondent about it. If they play as well as they did today in as many of the games as we can, then we'll not be too far away. We'll win more than we lose." Asked if the detrimental comments made about him and his co-caretaker Allan McManus by former manager Davie Irons in the national press during the week had disrupted his preparation, Grady replied: "Not in the slightest. I never gave it a second glance.

"I got told about it. I know what happened; he [Davie Irons] knows what happened. I can sleep easy." Asked about the injury which led to Allan Jenkins being stretchered off the pitch, Grady said: "It looks like a medial ligament injury.

"On top of all the rest of the things that have happened this week it's a blow, but that's management for you." That was a referral to hernia injuries sustained by Stevie Masterton and Alex Walker. Masterton has a double hernia problem which will require an operation ruling him out for at least six weeks.

It transpires that Walker may have exactly the same problem. He will need to see a specialist to clarify the situation.

"It's getting like Emergency Ward 10," commented Grady. "I don't want that to take the shine off the performance of those who were playing today. To a man they gave us everything. On any other day we'd be going away with three points.

"It's one of these things that happen in football. Sometimes you don't get what you deserve." Ryan McGuffie then spoke of his disappointment at not managing to take one of five chances to come his way. He said: "I think their keeper has had a really good game. On a good day I could have had four goals. I had five good chances.

"The one I am most disappointed about was the header late in the game. I just saw it at the last minute with the sun.

"The other ones I can put down to just a good save. I think I've done everything right," said the player who revealed that Bullock had got his fingers to the effort which struck the post.

"I'm disappointed that I've not scored, but I'm just putting it down to good keeping." "On that performance we should be all right. They are the favourites to win the league." Dens boss Jocky Scott commented: "We were a bit fortunate. We rode our luck at times, but we had an excellent 'goal' chalked off. There was a hand ball in the box when the shot came in [from McMenamin]. He [the referee] hasn't told the player why he was offside.

"But we battled. We didn't play to our normal standards in terms of passing the ball, but we've won the game and that's the most important thing.

"It was a great through ball from McHale and a great finish from the wee man [Griffiths].

"We needed that win today, because we've played well away from home in other games and not got our just rewards.

"As I say, we were a bit fortunate, but we'll take that."