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Peter MacDonald came off the bench to score a late winning goal and give Dundee their first Scottish Premiership win of the season.

St Mirren could not recover to take anything from the game, but they had chances beforehand to take the lead.

Jason Naismith came closest with a shot tipped wide, while Adam Drury twice volleyed over.

And MacDonald's strike condemned the Paisley team to a third defeat of the season.

It left Tommy Craig's men 11th in the table, ahead of Ross County's only on goal difference. Paul Hartley's Dundee move up to sixth.

Familiarity was a factor at St Mirren Park. Paul McGinn, Gary Harkins and Paul McGowan were all returning to their former club, while McGinn was also facing his brother, the St Mirren midfielder John McGinn, for the first time in a competitive match.

Nobody was likely to be caught unawares, although Drury was making his debut for St Mirren, having signed on loan from Manchester City.

There was no intention to be cautious, and the result was a game that flowed from end to end without either side taking command.

St Mirren were immediately ambitious, and Calum Ball's sweeping crossfield pass ran perfectly into the stride of Kenny McLean. Having gathered control of the ball and strode towards the penalty area, though, the midfielder finished rashly and sliced his effort wide.

Drury missed a chance to mark his St Mirren debut with a goal

Dundee were capable of passages of crisp passing and threatening forays upfield, but it was the home side that accumulated the better chances.

Having pushed up to support the attack from full-back, Naismith almost opened the scoring for the home side with a firmly-struck effort that Dundee goalkeeper Kyle Letheren had to dive to his right to tip round a post.

The chance was created through resourcefulness rather than by design, and Drury ought to have done better when another opportunity fell his way. On this occasion, the ball dropped to him inside the penalty area, but he hurriedly volleyed it over.

Dundee were never subdued, and Harkins and Jim McAlister both attempted shots from outside the area, but the former's was deflected wide and the latter's was comfortably saved by Marian Kello.

The interval barely interrupted the flow of the game. A more decisive touch from Ball after Naismith's delivery flew across the face of the goal would have opened the scoring for St Mirren. McAlister then headed over after Dundee had earned a corner.

Other dramas unfolded, though, and when Paul McGinn's strong challenge left his brother John crumpled on the turf in pain, the Dundee full-back stopped to check if he was okay.

St Mirren broke upfield in the meantime and, although the attack was eventually cleared, Hartley stomped to the touchline to angrily urge his player to "keep playing".

Thompson made his first appearance of the season but could not prevent a St Mirren defeat

The Buddies sent on Steven Thomson to try to turn the scoreline in their favour. A club employee optimistically informed the media that the striker had scored 48 times for the club "just in case" he might reach his half-century.

He saw a header saved, while Luka Tankulic's replacement MacDonald drew a smart save from Kello at the other end.

MacDonald was finding his range, though, because a hopeful ball over the top of the St Mirren defence allowed him to breach the offside trap.

Having controlled the ball adroitly, he then slipped it expertly past Kello and in to the net.

The goal was galling for the home side. It robbed them of a point, but also exposed their own shortcomings since they have now failed to score in all three of their league games this season.