Miller sees Accies as ‘must-win’ for Dundee

THE prospect of Hamilton sailing away from Dundee and leaving some clear blue water between them is one that Kenny Miller is not prepared to contemplate. Following four straight defeats after the appointment of manager Jim McIntyre, the Dens Park side have shown signs of a revival with draws in their last two league matches against St Mirren and Hibs. However, with the Dee still rooted to the bottom of the Premiership — three points behind the Buddies and eight behind Accies — the veteran striker admits tonight’s visit of Martin Canning’s men is ‘a must-win’ if they’re not to be cut adrift. ‘There have been two positive performances that could have turned a point into three,’ said former Rangers star Miller (right). ‘So it’s important against a team around us that we don’t get cut too much adrift. It kind of falls into the category of a must-win game for us. ‘It’s important to build on what we’ve been doing of late, particularly the St Mirren and Hibs games. ‘If we keep playing at the same intensity and tempo, then I don’t think that win will be too far away. ‘It’s an opportunity to close that gap on Hamilton with a game in hand. It gets you back in the mix. ‘It’s a big month, there are a lot of games and a lot of points up for grabs, so hopefully this can be the start of us turning the corner and climbing the table. ‘There are seven games between now and the winter shutdown. Tough games. It’s one game at a time but we need to stay in touch. ‘It’s imperative we’re not too far adrift come January.’ Canning hopes that, with striker James Keatings now over his injury problems, he can produce more of the magic that saw him inspire Accies to a 3-1 win over St Mirren last Saturday with a wonder goal and two assists. ‘James adds a bit of quality to what we’ve got,’ said the Hamilton boss. ‘In the big moments, he can produce that bit of quality.’