If ever us or Hamilton needed an early Christmas present it was on Saturday and thankfully it would be the Accies who would walk away with the lump of coal.
Just twenty-five minutes was all it took to wipe away months of frustration following Dundee. It was an utterly devastating display from the team in the first half which saw Kane Hemmings net a hat-trick and Greg Stewart score his first goal in nine games and even though we did not continue the tempo into the second half, the game was won and the team were able to see out the game on top and under no real pressure. Not since the first game of the season have we been able to afford this luxury.
It was maybe for the best that we never upped the tempo in the second half because I felt a wee twig on my hamstring with all the celebrating I did!
There is no denying that the pressure was there on the team and management as the support had become more vocal at their disapproval of the recent results and some of the team selections. As I have previously touched on in the last few blogs, some people were calling for Hartley to be sacked or for him to walk and even though it was from a minority, it was good to see these shouts silenced. Well, for this week anyway.
Hartley stated in the local press that he did not care if we won in style or ugly but we just had to win. He also announced that he would more than likely ring the changes in the team which was met with a sigh of relief from the fans who had already been vying for this to happen. In came Gary Irvine in defence and Gary Harkins into midfield while the formation bulked up the midfield but still kept an attacking threat. These changes brought a breath of fresh air.
If you saw the highlights, there is no doubting that Hamilton’s Jamie Sendles-White gifted Kane Hemmings two of the easiest goals of his Dundee career so far but at the same time the sheer determination from Kane no doubt contributed to him making these mistakes as he chased the ball down. Greg Stewart’s goal was his usual left footed curler and Hemming’s third goal was just as superb as he ran at both defenders before slotting home from his left foot into the bottom corner.
Of course, looking at the goals three out of the four were basically punts up the park but in between them all we were playing good passing football. It was great to see us playing like that again.
It has been a while since I have been able to feel relaxed at Dens Park but for just over an hour on Saturday, I felt like kicking back, putting on my slippers and basking in the ambiance of the fans, team and management enjoying controlling and winning the game.
It was also to see the players all celebrating together. There had a been a few hints of disharmony in the dressing room in the lead up to this game but seeing the way the players reacted, it should quash that rumour!
So there we have it. An end to the eight game winless streak. What did we do right compared to previous weeks? In my opinion, the recall of Gary Harkins to the side added that creativity that the team had missed and also the midfield was bulked up and refused to be overrun. The defence stood strong and dealt with everything that Hamilton had to offer which meant that Scott Bain had an easy afternoon and also his first clean sheet in twelve games.
This should give us a massive boost for the Boxing Day trip to Ross County. A win here and we move into fifth in the League. It would also potentially widen the gap to nine points between us and Kilmarnock who occupy the play-off spot.
I have written plenty of times about our record up in the Highlands but I go into this match with a new confidence that it will end in all three points. County had a cracking start to the season but in the last ten games, they have suffered seven defeats including three of them at home.
It would be magical if we were to make it two wins on the trot as it would be a massive boost for the build up to the Dundee Derby which is fast becoming the talk of the town.
While it is a busy football time of year, may I take this opportunity to wish you all season’s greetings.
