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BARRY SMITH'S 10-man Dundee stretched their unbeaten run in the league to 15 games - and gave the gaffer the perfect birthday gift.

Sean higgins' first-half header was enough to wrap up the points in a feisty clash.

And it dashed Binos boss Jocky scott's bid to put one over the club who sacked him last year when they were clear at the top of Division One.

Dundee had gary irvine red carded for a challenge on stirling captain ross forsyth but have now defied their 25-point deduction to reach seventh spot.

However, manager smith - who turned 37 yesterday - insists they are not out of danger. And he called on his troops to continue their fine run of form.

Smith said: "There are still a lot of points to play for and stirling have games in hand.

"We have to keep playing the way we are. But at this stage it's just another three points.

"All we are looking to do is get in a position where we are safe.

We dominated the first half but stirling came out and put us under a lot of pressure even before we went down to 10 men so credit to them."

Irvine saw red and seven others were booked.

On his man's dismissal, smith said: "i didn't see if it was twofooted.

The ref made his decision - that's what he's there for."

Stirling suffered a setback in just 10 minutes when Greg McDonald - playing his first game of the year after injury - was stretchered off with an Achilles problem.

But they had the best chance to take the lead.

Michael Doyle swung over a corner that was met by the head of on-loan hearts striker gordon smith.

it looked a goal all the way until Nicky riley stepped in to clear off the line.

And Binos were made to pay in 35 minutes as higgins netted a superb header from Matt Lockwood's cross from the left. it almost got worse for stirling but stephen O'Neill's rocket was stopped by scott Christie.

At the other end rab Douglas saved Dundee with a brilliant one-handed save from a Chris Aitken free-kick that looked destined for the back of the net.

Six minutes after the break Stephen O'Donnell sent over a corner from the left but Craig Forsyth's glancing header went wide to the relief of the home support.

But stirling weren't dead yet and began applying pressure.

Michael Mullen could have equalised when his shot from a smith reverse pass flew over.

In 64 minutes irvine was red-carded for his meaty challenge on forsyth.

And there was another flashpoint in 73 minutes when Douglas and Doyle were booked after a clash that also involved Dundee's rhys Weston.

Albion huffed and puffed but lacked a cutting edge and the Dens men held on.

Scott said: "Big rab had his normal three our four excellent saves. had he not we might have got something out of the game.

"The effort, commitment and attitude were different class.

"I can't fault them and i see a big improvement from day one. As long we keep improving it will give us a better chance to put points on the board.

"The biggest problem we have right now is scoring goals."

MoM: Higgins (Dundee)

Labels: daily, Division, Dundee, Record, Scottish, Stirling

MISSION accomplished for Celtic as they went eight points clear of Rangers at the top of the table ... and how Aberdeen players must hate the sight of Neil Lennon's side.

They've now lost a remarkable 17 goals to the Hoops in their last four meetings and having to face them with 10 men for all but 80 seconds after Andrew Considine's dismissal proved too much.

A first-half strike by Gary Hooper was followed up by goals from Mark Wilson and Anthony Stokes as Neil Lennon's men rampaged through the defence after a second-half lull.

The manager could even afford to blood 18-year-old defender Lewis Toshney before the end.

The partnership of Wilson and Charlie Mulgrew in central defence is makeshift but has yet to experience a stern test of their capabilities.

Rivals Rangers will surely ask more questions in the Scottish Cup at Ibrox on Sunday.

But Lennon would be content that a night that yielded such high reward included no mishaps as the season reaches boiling point.

The Hoops' season of conflict with officialdom has led to them hiring a QC to represent their interests but they went north with another kind of legal matter in mind. Sod's Law.

Three league and cup wins over Aberdeen this season tempted fate to deliver them a losing blow when they least needed it. And three players, Wilson, Beram Kayal and skipper Scott Brown, were one booking away from a suspension that would put them out of the league clash with Rangers on February 20.

Another unwanted complication for Lennon. What the manager could not have anticipated was a missed penalty from his side and Aberdeen being reduced to 10 men after just 80 seconds.

Hooper's astute pass picked out Brown and his run in on keeper Jamie Langfield's goal was interrupted by a challenge from Andrew Considine.

The referee considered the home player to be the last defender and sent him off before Stokes hit his penalty too close to Langfield and allowed the Dons No.1 a save.

Intensity

Aberdeen were a man down and a break up while the game was still in its infancy but they couldn't take advantage of the situation and fell a goal behind after 12 minutes.

Kris Commons fed the ball to Hooper and he set off on a run towards goal that involved a one-two with Stokes and a lethal finish as the Englishman slipped the ball beyond the advancing Langfield.

Commons' growing influence on the match was enough to see his youthful marker, Ryan Jack, removed after only 16 minutes. Derek Young took his place in a tactical switch to bolster the defence.

David McNamee was then replaced by new signing from Norwich, Steven Smith, as the Dons' back four lost half of its original personnel before a quarter of the game had elapsed.

The early setbacks saw a depleted Aberdeen defending increasingly higher up the pitch and inviting their rivals on to them.

Young was booked for a foul on Commons 14 minutes after getting on as a sub to illustrate the intensity of the pressure his side was under.

Then midfielder Rob Milsom was forced to clear the ball off the line from Stokes following a scramble that had arisen from a corner.

When Kayal struck the post with an angular drive that had beaten Langfield after 40 minutes it was visual proof of the first half having been a one-sided affair.

The meagre margin of Celtic's lead was one of a few surprises contained within an eventful opening period, even if visiting keeper Fraser Forster was forced to make belated stops from Chris Maguire and Scott Vernon in a spirited finale from Craig Brown's boys.

Celtic's need was to translate their dominance into a winning margin and they might have done so five minutes after the restart when Hooper strong-armed his way through and laid the ball on a plate for Commons.

But he blasted the ball over the bar from a tight angle after dwelling too long on his opportunity.

The longer the game went on in that vein the better for Aberdeen as they searched for a chance to punish Celtic while making light of their numerical disadvantage.

Anguish

Vernon was booked for a foul on Hooper and Maguire cautioned for a block on Wilson while the search for equality went on and Milsom tried his luck with a long-range shot struck more in hope than expectation.

It was remarkable that Celtic had been playing 10 men for all but the first minute of the game and yet had grown less of a threat.

Twenty minutes into the second period Lennon decided it was time for a fresh approach. Paddy McCourt went on in place of Kayal but before the fans' cult hero could touch the ball Commons had the miss that denied Celtic relief from their worries of a sucker-punch.

He rounded Langfield and had only to slip the ball into the empty net but his attempt from a tight angle hit the upright and went behind.

It was anguish for the Celtic player and the cue for derision from the Aberdeen fans who were starting to believe there might be respite from their run of bad luck against their bogey team.

Their dreams were dashed when Wilson got the simplest of goals to put Celtic two in front 15 minutes from time. Commons' corner was inch perfect and the defender rose unchallenged at the front post to bury a powerful header into net.

Stokes put the outcome beyond any doubt with a shot that beat the Dons keeper low at the same corner three minutes later.

Labels: Aberdeen, Celtic, Daily, Record, Scottish