The 2009-10 campaign delivered a bittersweet season for Dundee, as The Dark Blues clinched the Scottish Challenge Cup trophy but finished a frustrating 2nd in the Scottish First Division. Despite being promotion favorites and leading the league deep into the campaign, a late surge by rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle saw them miss out on the title. The potent attacking duo of Leigh Griffiths and Gary Harkins, who both notched 14 crucial league goals, provided the fireworks in a year of high ambition that ultimately fell just short of a return to the top flight.