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Dundee v Morton: Paul Hartley expects open contest at Dens

Paul Hartley: intends to have Dundee on the front foot.
Paul Hartley: intends to have Dundee on the front foot.

Dundee boss Paul Hartley admits that while his side and Morton will both be playing for high stakes at Dens, he would bet on the game being an open contest.

The length of the Championship table separates the teams, with the Dark Blues sitting at the top, one point ahead of Hamilton, while the Greenock outfit are rock bottom, 12 adrift of Cowdenbeath.

Cappielow boss Kenny Shiels has drafted in experienced reinforcements since he took over from Allan Moore at the club with the likes of former Scotland frontman Garry O’Connor and ex-QPR striker Rowan Vine being drafted in.

Hartley is expecting Morton to go all out to take full points as they attempt to pull off a remarkable great escape from relegation.

He said: “Kenny has brought in a few experienced players. O’Connor has been an internationalist while Vine has played at a high level in England.

“Kenny tries to get his teams to play football and pass the ball so I think it will be an open and attractive game. Morton know they have to win the match, but so do we.

“They are bottom of the table fighting to stay in the league while we are at the top trying to get promotion.

“So I think it will be an open game. We intend to be on the front foot, have a right go at them and hopefully get the right result.”

To attain that victory, Hartley believes his players have to replicate the same level of intensity and tempo they displayed two weeks ago at Dens against Hamilton as they look to make up for the disappointment of losing at Cowdenbeath last week.

He added: “We will try to put a positive team out on the park to win the game. We have been working on a few things in training.

“It is a hard game but we have to ensure we are on the front foot. Like we did against Hamilton at home, we have to play with a high tempo and close them down.

“We need the quality as well and that’s what we have to get back to. The players’ attitude has been good this week and they have worked hard.

“They know what’s in front of them and what’s required on Saturday. We have to go out there, put a performance on and give the fans something to cheer about.”

Hartley is still looking to bolster his squad but without success so far, although he did confirm that former Czech international Rudi Skacel is not one of his targets.

And he also explained why he agreed to let midfielder Stephen Hughes leave the club on loan to East Fife earlier this week.

Hartley added: “Stephen is experienced and he wants to play. He has not been a first choice since I came to the club.

“He has not played a lot of football and hasn’t made the bench. I just think he needs to play games and he is not guaranteed that here.

“So I spoke to him and we thought the best thing was for him to go and play games. We are well covered in that area so that was my reasoning behind it.”