McCann vows to keep heat off Dark Blues

Dundee manager Neil McCann has vowed to keep his players pressure-free as they try to end their five-match losing streak.

The bottom-of-the-table Dark Blues face Kilmarnock – who sit three points better off in 10th spot in the Premiership – to Dens Park on Saturday for what looks likely to be a nerve-shredding occasion.

The hosts will be desperate to close the gap on the opposition and maybe even overtake secondbottom Partick Thistle by securing all three points at the sixth attempt.

However, McCann believes he has an upbeat, high-spirited group and stressed that neither they nor he should be feeling the heat.

The manager, who has been putting his players through double training sessions, said: “I am not fearful in any way.

“I don’t have a fear that people will start saying that I’m under pressure.

“I’m also not going to let these boys feel pressure.

“I came in on the back of Paul (Hartley) leaving and it was the complete opposite of what you see now.

“I could see boys low and I could see morale was low.

“I said to them then that I would take the fear away from them by doing things like letting them express themselves and take risks when in the final third.

“So I’m not going to change that.”