MILLER’S TIME!
Dundee’s veteran striker blasts a superb hat-trick to dump Accies and give boss McIntyre his first victory
HAT-TRICK hero Kenny Miller gave relieved Dundee boss Jim McIntyre his long-awaited first win at the helm as a brilliant individual display from the veteran destroyed Hamilton.
The 38-year-old former Rangers striker simply oozed class, netting before the break and grabbing another two in the second half.
Allied with Jesse Curran’s 69th-minute strike, it ensured that McIntyre broke his duck at the seventh attempt in what could prove to be a massive night in the Dark Blues’ long-term fight for Premiership survival.
Marksman Miller first stepped up to the plate with a stylish 27th-minute opener before adding a second on 51 minutes with an unstoppable shot past the helpless Jan Mucha.
Accies’ new Slovakian keeper was beaten again on 81 minutes as former Scotland international Miller engineered the Taysiders’ first league win at Dens Park this season.
And it means the Premiership’s bottom club can now go into Sunday’s showdown with a wounded Rangers boasting renewed confidence despite their lowly position.
They went into this crunch clash having fought back from the dead to pick up a valuable point in their last outing away to Hibernian two weeks ago.
They could also take heart from the last time they tackled Martin Canning’s Accies in late September.
Back then, Neil McCann was still manager and they dug out a 2-0 win in Lanarkshire to halt an alarming seven-game losing streak.
And they made a bright enough start here last night amid the soaking underfoot conditions.
Cammy Kerr and Curran were a pair of livewires down the right flank and put the visiting defence under instant pressure.
However, Hamilton weren’t content to sit back and soak it all in.
In seven minutes, former Dundee United striker James Keatings — the hero of Saturday’s 3-1 win over St Mirren in Paisley — found some space inside the box only to see his shot on the turn saved by Jack Hamilton in the home goal.
But the pressure was building from McIntyre’s hosts and it was no great surprise when they surged ahead.
Finland international Glen Kamara weaved his magic by jinking past some despairing Hamilton challenges on his way to setting up Miller.
The striker had only one thing on his mind and duly fired a left-foot finish past Mucha to send the Dens Park faithful wild with delight.
But Martin Canning’s Accies refused to lie down and almost levelled just a few minutes later when Dougie Imrie went racing down the left.
He crossed into the middle where Keatings got his shot away, but his strike was blocked by the combined efforts of the Dundee defence.
The Dark Blues knew they needed another goal to give themselves some much-needed breathing space — and it almost arrived after 39 minutes.
A flowing move wide on the right ended with Paul McGowan playing in Miller, but, on this occasion, the veteran forward blazed his shot high over the bar.
It could easily have become 1-1 a couple of minutes later.
Accies midfielder Mickel Miller’s brilliant solo run saw him lay the ball into the path of Keatings, whose final shot wasn’t far away.
Dundee breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t take long to strike again after the interval.
McGowan’s shot on the deck was blocked but the ball fell only as far as Miller who was 22 yards from goal. He was the calmest person inside Dens, the way he steadied himself before slotting home low past Mucha and into the bottom corner of the net.
It was magical stuff from Miller and he wasn’t finished turning back the clock to the delight of the home support. The former Celtic and Rangers man had a hat-trick in his sights, and almost managed to find a way into the visitors penalty box on 63 minutes until Delphin Tshiembe stopped him in his tracks.
But there was to be no denying the on-song hosts by this stage of the match.
Curran, who was a bundle of energy for Dundee the whole night, rampaged down the right and his shot from the edge of the penalty area took a wicked deflection on its way to nestling in Mucha’s net.
There was no way back for Canning’s shell-shocked visitors and Miller rounded things off with a wonderful finish from 20-yards — almost identical to his second strike — to send the Dee support home with a smile on their faces.
Sunday’s visit of Steven Gerrard’s Rangers will be a tough affair as the Ibrox side look to bounce back after last night’s home defeat to Aberdeen.
But on this form — and with the former Ibrox star in their ranks firing on all cylinders — McIntyre’s men have at least shown they will stand a fighting chance in what is going to be a crucial festive period in their battle to stay up.
DUNDEE (4-2-3-1): Hamilton 6; Kerr 7, Kusunga 6, O’Dea 7, Ralph 6; Woods 7 (Spence 80) Kamara 7; C Miller 7 (Lambert 82) McGowan 6, Curran 7; K Miller 8 (Mendy 84). Subs not used: Moussa, Parish, Inniss, Boyle. Booked: Kamara.
HAMILTON (4-3-3): Mucha 6; McGowan 6, Gordon 7, Tshiembe 6, McMann 6; Imrie 5 (Boyd 68), MacKinnon 6, Martin 6; Keatings 6 (Taiwo 74), Miller 6, Brustad 6 (Bingham 52). Subs not used: Enigbokan-Bloomfield, Marsden, Want, Sowah. Booked: Tshiembe, Keatings. Man of the match: Kenny Miller. Referee: John Beaton. Attendance: 4,426.