Dark Blues need to show scrap mettle
SKIPPER Darren O’Dea wants Dundee to ‘scrap’ for their lives in today’s relegation battle with Hamilton Accies.
The Dark Blues stalwart issued the rallying cry as Paul Hartley’s side bid to end a disastrous run of six straight defeats in the Premiership.
Former Celtic stopper O’Dea, 30, said: “You know they are going to be dogged for sure.
“I don’t think I’ve ever come off the pitch against Hamilton and thought ‘that was great.’
“I’ve won games. I’ve lost them but I’ve never come off having particularly enjoyed them. It’s going to be a scrap but it’s important we can match that and better the fight against them.
“If you go out thinking it’s going to be a pretty game of football, you’ll get turned over.
“So we’ll need to fight but also have the composure when the time comes to be able to create. It’ll be tough but it’s a game at home we want to win and think we can.”
Dundee’s decline couldn’t have come at a worse time but Martin Canning’s Accies have enjoyed an upturn in their fortunes of late.
O’Dea added: “Everyone realises what the position is.
“We’re coming off the back of a poor run but they were similar fixtures to the poor run we had earlier in the season.
“There was Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen and St Johnstone in there. I’m not making excuses but at any other stage in the season if you lost to Aberdeen or Celtic you don’t take it hard.
“It’s important the players stay upbeat. It’s tough losing six on the bounce.
“It’s not easy staying positive and confident but we’ve been through it before.
“This is the business end now. We’re in the bottom six and , with things being so tight, a flip of results one weekend can change everything.
“We want to put this run behind us.”
Kosta Gadzhalov could return at the back for the Dark Blues while striker Faissal El-Bakhtaoui is also pushing for a return.