WHEN Steven McLean sounded his whistle on a breathless Dundee Derby, Charlie Adam strode onto the pitch, hugged his nearest teammate and made off for the visiting support. 

The blue half of the city duly obliged, chanting the name of their hero and lapping up every second of it. It was a fitting image to end a thriller at Tannadice as bottom-placed Dundee fought back from two down to snatch a deserved, much-needed point with a 60-second salvo.  

Adam was the hero, his equaliser the cherry on top of a performance that, while fleeting, showed his class and - at the very least - dragged his team ever so slightly closer to St Johnstone. 

“There is a spirit about them and a belief that one of these days we are going to win a football match,” said Dundee’s Mark McGhee. “We can take heart from that and we are determined we will come out fighting.” 

For United, who led through Nicky Clark and Charlie Mulgrew, it was a frustrating afternoon but, still, they secured their top six place with room to spare. 

“We almost thought it was job done,” United manager Tam Courts said. “That always gives the opposition a chance to get back into the game.” 

Compared to United, it felt like the blue half of the city had given this derby about as much build-up as someone readying themselves to take out the bins. But don't let that mislead you. They were excellent, worthy of their point and considerably unlucky not to get two more, nor to end their near two decade-long Tannadice hoodoo.

Despite United’s dominance, this remains a derby with considerable bite. Charlie Adam and the Shed End wasted little time in exchanging, er, pleasantries. Flares rained down from the same stand at kick off and Ian Lawor was lost in the orange smoke. When the delayed action finally did get underway, just two minutes were on the clock when a crunching Liam Smith tackle sent a wincing Paul McGowan to the turf. Shaun Byrne did the same to Tony Watt in the final moments of the first-half and a small rammy broke out. 

Surprisingly, given what was at stake, it was also a game of considerable ebb and flow and both teams landed early jabs. Adam - these days, essentially a five-a-side ringer - cleverly sent the ball into Jordan Marshall’s path and just a few inches stood between Danny Mullen and proper contact on his cross. Next a long, raking Adam pass landed perfectly in Mullen’s stride but Ross Graham recovered. 

The Herald: Tam Courts' men secured a top half finish with the pointTam Courts' men secured a top half finish with the point

There was plenty of encouragement for Mark McGhee in those opening moments, but the warning signs were there, too - Watt’s movement causing considerable panic - and he soon had his head in his hands. As did the blue half of Dundee who had just witnessed Ian Lawlor falling victim to a rush of blood. 

A United corner broke down on the left and the ball was recycled back to Smith, who walloped it aimlessly high into the Dundee sky. 

With the ball dropping away from his goal, Lawlor took one, two, three hesitant steps towards it, nibbling at the bait. An anxious groan sounded from the Dundee fans; it was clear their man was never going to make it and so it proved. By the time the Irishman finally made up his mind, Clark was gleefully heading Ross Graham’s flick into the net and motoring away in celebration. Derbies are times for cool heads but Lawlor’s was anything but. 

The agonising thing for Dundee? They’d arguably been the better team, United happy to sit in and take the jabs on the chin. But that only gets you so far and soon Tam Courts’ men were two to the good. 

Again it was questionable from Lawlor, who failed to get a hand to Mulgrew’s free kick and could only watch it sail past him. 

As United celebrated and emotions threatened to boil over - flares this time joined by fans on the pitch - it looked like Dundee were going down with a whimper; until a remarkable two minutes drew them level. 

It won’t be remembered as a day for the goalkeepers. With Tannadice bouncing, Cammy Kerr found space on the right and floated the ball into the box, only for Benjamin Siegrist to misjudge it and push it onto the head of Mullen. He made no mistake. Was it suddenly game on? You bet it was. 

The Herald: An Ian Lawlor mistake gifted United the ascendancy An Ian Lawlor mistake gifted United the ascendancy

Tannadice had barely drawn breath when, a minute later, Adam picked the ball up, ghosted beyond Dylan Levitt and rifled it into Siegrist’s net. A deflection got it there but he’d earned the luck; as he had the jubilation from the Dundee fans, which spilled out with all the exuberance you’d expect after a season of anguish. 

The breathlessness of the game refused to abate. Marc McNulty and Liam Smith both missed glaring chances - the first an open goal - while Niall McGinn, a key half-time sub, hit the bar with a wonderful effort.