A Peterhead side that started with three trialists hosted Dundee at Balmoor in a pre-season friendly with the Blue Toon having the better chances early on, however self-inflicted wounds led to the loss of goals either side of half-time and the Dark Blues ran out 4-0 winners.
New recruits Robbie McGale, Paul Dixon and Ryan Dow started the 90 minutes however fellow new boys Ryan Strachan and Conor O’Keefe missed out through injury.
Jim McInally’s side impressed in the opening exchanges and won a number of corners however they were unable to force a clear-cut chance from the set pieces.
Peterhead’s Trialist B created the game’s first two openings with his first shot being deflected onto the roof of the Dundee net and his second effort, from some 20 yards, testing Harry Sharp in the Dundee goal.
Dow, who joined Peterhead from Dunfermline in the summer tried his luck from a free kick at the edge of the box however the ball cleared the bar with Sharp doing well shortly afterwards as he stretched to reach a chip from the attacker.
Dundee began to settle into the game and Peterhead’s trialist goalkeeper pushed a shot from a visiting trialist past the post.
With 30 minutes gone Fin Robertson sent Luke Strachan scampering down the left and when his pass to Zak Rudden was blocked, Strachan struck the loose ball off the underside of the bar.
The Championship side were not to be denied and they took the lead on 36 minutes after a mistake by Peterhead some 80 yards from their own goal.
Trialist B cut a free-kick from the left back into the path of McGale however his pass forward was cut out by Strachan and quickly released Robertson who sent Rudden free on the half-way line. The striker bore down on the home goal and finished coolly with a deft chip over the advancing trialist goalkeeper.
After playing well in the first 20 minutes Peterhead could consider themselves unlucky to be going in behind however the second half belonged to a brand-new Dundee line-up.
A second quickly arrived after former Dundee defender Paul Dixon stumbled 30 yards out and that allowed Alex Jakubiak to break and he also remained calm as he slipped a pass to the unmarked Niall McGinn to tap in.
Ex-Dark Blue Danny Strachan came on for Andy McDonald on 57 minutes however he was powerless to stop Dundee adding a third goal 14 minutes later when Luke McCowan was allowed to force his way towards goal before cracking in a shot that sneaked under Trialist A and into the net.
Josh Mulligan, who played for Peterhead on loan last season, before coming back and scoring against the Blue Toon in the Scottish Cup adding the fourth three minutes later when he picked up a pass from McCowan and danced his way past the home goalkeeper and slotted in.
Peterhead tried to grab a consolation goal and in the closing stages Dixon fired for goal however his shot was deflected into Ian Lawlor’s arms.
Peterhead – Trialist A (Trialist D 78), McGale (Jason Brown 73), Wilson, Dixon, McDonald (Strachan 57), Ritchie (Trialist E 57), McCarthy, Trialist B (Trialist F 46), Jack Brown, Trialist C (Jordan Brown 57), Dow
Post Match interviews
Jim McInally – https://youtu.be/HN3XNytuu5o
Jordon Brown – https://youtu.be/k4Ki-BwdMwc
