The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Hamilton confident Gers will be put to test
Goalkeeper says Dark Blues have “not been far away” from clicking all season
Jack Hamilton punched the air after securing his first clean sheet in the league for Dundee.
The celebration was proof of what it meant to the big man to stop a seemingly netbound header from Hamilton sub Rakish Bingham in the final minute of Wednesday’s 4-0 win over the Accies.
While striker Kenny Miller hogged the headlines due to his hat-trick, Hamilton was high up on the list of heroes for a commanding performance between the posts as the Dens men moved to within a point of secondbottom side St Mirren.
It doesn’t get any easier for him, though, with title-chasing Rangers coming to town tomorrow and looking to bounce back from a home loss to Aberdeen in midweek.
Hamilton can expect to be busy even with the Light Blues’ leading goalscorer Alfredo Morelos suspended after being ordered off against the Dons.
However, he is confident Dundee will really test Steven Gerrard’s men.
Looking back on his spectacular stop against Accies, Hamilton said: “I was happy with the save.
“It was good to get involved in securing the result and the clean sheet.
“It was my first clean sheet in the league this season and it was nice to get that out of the way.
“I was desperate to keep the score blank and I achieved that.
“When you are playing in games where you have plenty to do because the action is constant you don’t really need to think as much because you are always involved in the action.
“Against Hamilton the team was doing really well and because of that we were always in their half.
“When that happens you need to concentrate a bit more as a keeper and be ready for when it comes your way.
“I might be busier on Sunday because it is a big game but, to be honest, every match has felt like a big one for us.
“Rangers have been good this year and watching videos of them you can see the way they have been playing.
“We just have to look after ourselves and not think too much about them,” he said.
“We go into every single game with a bit of confidence and we go into every single game looking to put on a performance. That will be the case this time, too.
“Dundee have done well in games here before. I remember watching a win last year on TV. It is a hard place to come for teams and we need to pick up points here at Dens.”
Hamilton, like most people who had watched Jim McIntyre’s team in the run-up to the Accies victory, felt they were due one.
He said: “It has been a great week for us because of that fantastic result.
“It is something we had been working towards and long overdue.
“The last three games have been positive and this time we got the win we deserved.
“We have a great squad here, a good bunch, and everybody has gelled together really well.
“I think, even from the start of the season, we have not been far away.”
He believes that, while there were – and still are – things to improve, they have collectively been close to getting results.
“We have been waiting on it to click, and that happened on Wednesday night.”
Miller was a huge part of that success and Hamilton, said he would much rather have him in his team than be facing the former Ibrox man tomorrow.
“He has had a fantastic career and he has shown his quality for us,” he said.
“He is getting goals now and he was always going to do that because we know how good he is. He has been a great addition to our club.”
There was also a note of caution from the goalie, though, and that is perhaps understandable given December’s fixture list, which sees Dundee follow the Rangers clash with matches against Kilmarnock (a), Aberdeen (a), Celtic (a), Livingston (h) and St Johnstone (h).
He added: “It is only one win and let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
“We have to build on that now and take it game by game.
“We can’t look too far ahead,” he said. “If we keep performing like we did against Accies the league table will take care of itself.”