Antoine-Curier plots return to top flight, even if Accies fall at final hurdle in Leith
ONE way or another, Mickael Antoine-Curier hopes to be plying his trade in the SPFL Premiership next season.
His preference would be to gain promotion with his current club Hamilton Accies, who trail Hibs by two goals going into the second leg of their promotion play-off final at Easter Road today.
He insists a turnaround is possible but, if not, he has faith in his ability to move up a level from the Championship regardless.
Currently in his third spell at Hamilton, the Frenchman first came to Scotland in 2007 when John Collins brought him to Hibs. A change of manager saw Mixu Paatelainen come in and Antoine-Curier was shipped out on loan to Dundee.
The 31-year-old maintains that he could have made a go of it in the top flight and, on the back of a 13-goal haul at Championship runners-up Hamilton, wants to prove it next season.
‘I never doubt myself,’ he stated. ‘I can play in the Premiership. You see my stats. I don’t like to speak too much about myself but stats talk. I always make the doubter look at himself in the mirror. I can look at myself in the mirror every day saying I have given everything I have got for every team I have played for.
‘Today I play for Hamilton and I give it everything.
‘I didn’t get a chance to score goals at Hibs. My big pal Mixu sent me on loan, he told me to score goals and come back, and I signed a new contract.
‘I scored nine in 11 games but then he told me there was no space for me here. I said fine, shook his hand and said: “See you later”. I had a great time in Dundee.
‘I managed to come here in the Premiership, then in my first game with Hamilton I played against Hibs and scored. But that is in the past now. Today is the present time, the only thing that matters is this game.’
A wanderer who has signed for an astonishing 18 clubs in his career, it would be no surprise to see Antoine-Curier wash up somewhere new next season. Nevertheless, he has faith that Alex Neil’s team have what it takes to upset the odds and gain promotion this afternoon.
‘Nothing is impossible,’ he continued. ‘It is important to go there being very positive. Easter Road is a hard place to go but we have shown throughout the season that we can come back from nowhere.
‘We just need to concentrate on ourselves, we don’t need to worry about Hibs or their fans or stuff like that.’
By common consent, there was little between the two teams last Wednesday, with the match settled by two exceptional finishes from Hibs’ young striker Jason Cummings.
‘It was hard to take because I thought we had control of the game and then that shot from 25-30 yards went in,’ added Antoine-Curier.
‘After that, they had a bit of confidence going through their whole team. We tried to go for it and they hit us on the counter attack.
‘We need to try to get a quick goal over there and then anything can happen.
‘I had a good chance to score and afterwards the goalkeeper said to me he’d just closed his eyes and it hit him on his belly.
‘That is all it takes in the top division, when you are playing with the big boys. You can’t make a mistake, you can’t misplace a pass, because if you do that, they will punish you.’
The win was only Hibs’ second in 20 fixtures but AntoineCurier insists Hamilton did not underestimate their opponents.
He added: ‘We never doubted them. People were saying what they were saying but they are the Premiership team and we are the Championship team, so we had to give them respect.
‘But after that it is not respect, it is a war. They won the first battle, now we need to win the second one.’