The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Hartley taking fixtures in stride
DUNDEE: Dark Blues boss not fazed by final-day trip to face Hamilton
Dundee manager Paul Hartley has taken the club’s post-split fixtures in his stride despite being handed a tough trip to Hamilton on the final day.
The Dark Blues will travel to Lanarkshire on Saturday May 20, to bring the curtain down on their Premiership campaign, excluding any play-off final they may face.
Their run of bottom six games starts with Motherwell at Fir Park on April 29 then they also hit the road to take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on May 6.
Next up for Hartley’s men are two home matches against Ross County on Saturday 13 before hosting Inverness Caley Thistle on Tuesday 16.
That leaves the final clash against Accies, whom they also meet at Dens Park this Saturday in a six-pointer.
The Dundee boss took it all in his stride, saying: “I’m happy enough with the fixtures.
“It is what it is. When you count this weekend’s game we have three home and three away in the last six matches.”
HARTLEY ‘HAPPY ENOUGH’: Continued from page 60
“They will all be very tight games,” added the boss.
“We are obviously away the first two after the split but you just have to get on with it. You have to be ready to fight.”
Indeed, Hartley could hardly have appeared more relaxed than he did when looking ahead to tomorrow’s crunch game against Martin Canning’s men.
It is not that he doesn’t realise the significance of the relegation clash after six straight defeats for his side. It is more that he is determined to stay as cool as he can as an example to his players.
Asked how he was feeling ahead of the big one, he replied: “I am fine. If I start being edgy and down then it spreads to the players.
“We were positive after the Hearts game and training has been really upbeat all week.
“I know what it’s like and I feel for the players, especially because it is not a good run that we are on. But we have to get through it together and sticking with each other is the only thing we can do.
“We always thought this would be an important game before the split and that is the case for both teams.
“With the run we are on, we have to get a win because you can’t keep losing games.
“If you look at it, the other teams have caught up on us in terms of points. So we are not stupid. We know we have to start winning games of football.
“It is a must and it must start on Saturday.
“The players have been well warned about it and everyone knows how important it is.
“We have been on a terrible run but it hasn’t been down to any lack of effort from the players.
“Over the last six games we have just not been good enough – that’s what it boils down to – but it has to turn.”