Hartley huddle highlights team spirit

Dark Blues end wretched losing run with pledge to avoid repeat of Partick loss

The Hartley huddle might just be here to stay.

The coming together of players and coaches at full-time in the middle of the Hamilton pitch, with their manager right in the thick of it, certainly didn’t feel like a token gesture.

And Hamilton hero Paul McGowan has revealed that a bond created by a determination to make sure there were no greater depths for them to sink after their midweek defeat to Partick Thistle, inspired the victory that ended a wretched six-game losing run and 10-game winless one.

Saturday’s goalscorer said: “We’ve let the manager down, the fans down and ultimately we have let ourselves down.

“We’re a good team. But we have not been good enough and we have not been at it.

“A few things got said and it seemed to inspire us and if we carry that on then I’m sure we will be OK.

“There was a real togetherness on Saturday. The situation we were in we needed to have these discussions. We are grown men. It’s not that we don’t like each other – at the end of the day this is our livelihood.

“If the club goes down ultimately people lose jobs. You could tell there was tension there but I don’t think it’s a bad thing for people to have a go at each other.

“We had failed to take chances in other games and that cost us so to go to Hamilton and turn them over is massive.

“The fighting spirit was there for everyone to see. We had to match them because they fight for every ball and I felt we did that and we deserved our win.

“This is a tough league. It’s 100 miles per hour and you have to fight for every ball, if you don’t you’ll get found out very quickly.”

He added: “It doesn’t matter how we play, it’s only points we want.

“That’s the monkey off our back and I’m so happy for the boys because they put so much into training.

“We just couldn’t put our finger on why we were not taking things into games – and the gaffer was the same.”

As precious a victory as this was, McGowan needs no reminding that Dundee’s situation demands that time can’t be spent basking in any afterglow.

They are still one point adrift of the team above them (Ross County) and the sooner they start climbing the table the better.

“It’s only one game,” the former St Mirren man pointed out. “We still have another 26 to go. “We have to push on and we need to get our home form sorted and make Dens Park a difficult place for teams to play. It’s all about points now for us. We’ve got Motherwell next week and it’s not going to be pretty.

“I’m a footballer and I like playing football. The way we played at Hamilton wasn’t pretty but in the situation we are in it has to happen.”

McGowan’s shot just after the hour mark proved decisive. Marcus Haber looked like he might have got a slight touch on the 18-yarder into the bottom corner, but manager Paul Hartley was sure it was his midfielder’s goal.

“I don’t care who got a touch on it as long as we won the game,” admitted the man himself.

“It wasn’t a pretty game but I felt we had the better chances – Wighty (Craig Wighton) had a chance and Jules (Etxabeguren) had a header.

“To come to Hamilton you have to battle and I felt we did that. We have given ourselves a platform now and we need to take that into the next game.”

In truth it was a game of few chances. David Mitchell – in for Scott Bain who had injured his groin – had a couple of longdistance shots to deal with, but that was about it.

McGowan, who came off early when he felt his groin tighten but shouldn’t be a doubt for next Saturday, has been one of his manager’s on-field and off-field leaders.

But he didn’t believe Hartley’s job was on the line in Lanarkshire.

“I don’t think we were playing for the manager’s job,” he said.

“The club had already come out and backed him and three years’ good work should not be wasted in 10 games.

“It’s a results business but we’re behind him, the board is behind him and he is the best man to take us forward.”

Hartley was understandably thrilled with the heart shown by his team.

He said: “That’s the minimum we expect from them now, the players know that, they’re a great bunch of players to work with – they’re honest, and just haven’t had the results.

“That was a different Dundee and we’re going to be looking for that between now and the end of the season.

“We have to fight for every result. We might not always win, but as long as I see on the pitch what I saw there I’ll be happy.

“I’m delighted for the players – we deserved that, we fought, we stuck together and I’m pleased for the group.

“We had a good week, in terms of speaking, and some good stuff on the training pitch.

“We were all honest with each other, said we’re going to fix it together, and we’re going to fight every week and show a real desire and attitude.”

We’re a good team. But we have not been good enough and we have not been at it. PAUL MCGOWAN