Hamilton Accies striker Mickael Antoine-Curier will be out for revenge on the Dark Blues at Dens Park this afternoon.
He feels he has been wronged by Dundee on three separate occasions and views Saturday’s encounter as the perfect opportunity to teach them a lesson.
Then manager Alex Rae signed the Guadaloupe target man on a three-year deal from Hibs in 2008 but, once Jocky Scott replaced Rae later that year, Antoine-Curier’s face did not fit and he was loaned out to Hamilton.
He returned to Dens in 2010 but he was one of nine members of the first-team squad made redundant after the Dark Blues slid into administration in October, a fate made worse as he was recovering from a serious knee surgery at the time.UPDATE: Game called off due to waterlogged pitchIn spite of that, he was willing to return to Tayside after an unhappy spell with FC Atyrau in Kazakhstan last summer, only to discover that no-one at Dens would return his calls.
“My agent offered me to Dundee when I came back to Scotland and they didn’t want me so Saturday is a good chance for me to show them that they missed out,” said the 30-year-old.
“There are three clubs which are close to my heart Hibernian, Dundee and Hamilton. I never denied that.
“But Dundee didn’t even call me back, give my agent an answer or anything like that. When Alex Neil knew I was available, though, he didn’t waste any time.
“I’m grateful to Hamilton for giving me the chance to come back and I’m trying to repay them as much as I can.
“This a big game. What can I say? Dundee are my old club. They’re top of the league and we’re second, challenging them.
“If we win we’re top so that’s the main thing. My motivation is to be top of the league and win the title with Hamilton. I was with Dundee but that was in the past.
“Maybe it would add to my motivation if Jocky Scott was still there! He told me I wasn’t part of his plans. He said I was going to a club who were going down anyway and I said to him that we wouldn’t.”.