Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Faissal — Dee can build on good form
DUNDEE striker Faissal El Bakhtaoui reckons the Hogmanay victory over St Johnstone is the perfect performance to build on going into the second half of the season.
The 3-0 victory before the winter break sees the Dark Blues eyeing up a place in the top half of the Premiership come the end of the campaign.
Ahead of the return to league action at the end of the month, Dundee are just one point behind Ross County in sixth and six behind Saints in fifth.
Firstly, though, the Dens men will welcome St Mirren to the City of Discovery on January 21 for a Scottish Cup fourth-round tie.
Then comes a league trip to Aberdeen the following Friday.
And El Bakhtaoui is urging his team-mates to keep the form shown in the emphatic victory over Saints going.
He said: “For me it was the best performance of the team since I’ve been here.
“We’re feeling good after the St Johnstone game to come back and go for the top six.
“We played great in that game and I was happy to come back into the team and score my goal as well.
“For myself as well I think it was the best performance I’ve had.
“It’s good, we just need to keep going like that and keep working hard.
“I think after the break now we need to push on after that good performance.”
It’s been a slow start to life at Dundee for the French-Moroccan but he demonstrated the scoring touch which had interested manager Paul Hartley in the first place.
El Bakhtaoui leapt to the attention of the Scottish game with a flurry of goals at the start of last season for Dunfermline in League One.
He knocked in an impressive 12 goals in eight games — including a brace against Dundee in a League Cup victory — to begin the season and ended the campaign with 30 in all competitions.
His opener against St Johnstone was just his second for the club in 16 appearances but the signs were on show on Hogmanay that he’s starting to get used to life in the top flight.
He added: “It’s not easy when you’re a new player in a club. I think you have to take your time to adapt to the team.
“It’s been good, though. I’m happy here and the manager has been good with me. All the boys have been great, too, and I’m happy to finish off before the break with a goal.”