Dundee gave departing manager Jocky Scott the perfect response after the most traumatic and eventful week in his management career with victory at Dens Park.

Scott and assistant Jimmy Bone started the week on a high after a 3-0 derby victory over arch-rivals Dundee United only to be told that he was to lose his job when his contract expires on July 9. Then days later Italian Ivano Bonetti and brother Dario were unveiled by the Marr Brothers as the new dream team.

But Dundee showed the new management team and Scott himself that they were loyal and committed. Scott was looking to end the season on a high and Gavin Rae produced a second-half goal to put them above rivals United in seventh place with one game remaining which would make the blue half of the city delighted.

However, this week's events have proved that is not quite good enough for the ambitious Dundee board while their opponents remain in sixth place but still able to hold their heads high after an impressive return to the top-flight.

Bonetti's first task since being appointment has been to painstakingly trawl through the Dundee video archives of this season but the beginning to this game would not have given him too much encouragement. However, after the early exchanges Hibernian were outclassed and were lucky to escape with just a 1-0 defeat.

It took 14 minutes for Dundee to produce the first chance of the match when Patrizio Billio played a cross-field pass to Steven Boyack and his cross was headed wide by striker James Grady. But that woke Hibernian from their Sunday afternoon stroll and Dundee goalkeeper prevented the visitors from taking the lead when Pat McGinlay cut the ball back to Paul Hartley, whose effort from 12 yards was well saved and gathered at the second attempt. Dundee then put together another good passing move in the 23rd minute with Javier Artero picking out Gavin Rae in the centre but Shaun Dennis blocked his goal-bound effort and the follow-up from Grady.

But Dundee were applying some pressure and it almost paid off in the 26th minute but Hibernian goalkeeper Nick Colgan came out to cut out Grady's cross with James Grady and Willie Falconer both lining up to score.

Moments later and Falconer should have broken the deadlock when Grady played him through to beat the offside trap but he fired into the side netting with just Colgan to beat. In the 28th minute Steven Boyack was the guilty party on this occasion as he too beat the offside trap but he shot too near Colgan, who made a terrific save.

On the half-hour the home side had penalty claims turned when Grady got to Falconer's pass in the area and nipped the ball just past Shaun Dennis and went to ground, but the referee waved away the protests.

Grady produced a dangerous run in the 30th minute after a mistake from Grant Brebner as he twisted and turned past Martin McIntosh but the Hibernian defender made up the ground to make a blocking challenge to deny him.

In the last minute of the half Hibernian produced their best chance when Stuart Lovell played Kenny Miller through but his tame shot was comfortably saved by Douglas.

Dundee started the second period like they finished the first and in the 48th minute Artero beat two players with a determined run into the box but McIntosh stood up to him and blocked his effort.

But the home side did take a deserved lead in the 55th minute when the Hibernian defence failed to clear the danger and Boyack crossed for Rae to score past Colgan.

Dundee should have killed the game off a minute later when with three against two in the home side's favour Billio dwelled too much on the ball before passing to Grady, whose effort was blocked.

Grady then fired just over from the edge of the box in the 61st minute and then four minutes later Steven Tweed blazed into the side netting from Rae's cross. A desperate saving tackle from Tom Smith denied Grady a certain goal after Boyack had cut the ball back from the byline.

But Hibernian battled back and in the 75th minute Douglas pushed McGinlay's lob onto the bar as the home side breathed a sigh of relief. However, Dundee secured the points and will look to doing the same against Aberdeen at Dens Park next week to give Scott something to be proud of.

Teams:

Dundee: Douglas, Smith, Wilkie, Tweed, Maddison, Artero, Boyack (Robertson 85), Billio, Rae, Grady (Luna 85), Falconer.

Subs Not Used: Langfield, Miller, Bayne.

Booked: Rae, Luna.

Goals: Rae 54.

Hibernian: Colgan, Jack (Renwick 56), Dennis, McIntosh, Smith, Lovell, Brebner (McManus 68), McGinlay, Hartley, Lehmann (Paatelainen 63), K. Miller.

Subs Not Used: Gottskalksson, Murray.

Booked: Hartley.

Att: 5,061

Ref: M Mccurrie (Glasgow).