GOAL GRABBER Mickael Antoine-Curier insists he and his Dundee colleagues will take Saturday’s crunch match against Hamilton in their stride, writes Ian Roache.

The prolific striker’s self-confidence could be down to the fact he has bagged eight goals in five games, adding another two in the midweek win over Livingston.

And he gave a typically French shrug of the shoulders when asked if the pressure was mounting ahead of the trip to New Douglas Park to take on the league leaders.

“I am relaxed about it and there is no point getting worried,” he said.

“We will just go there and try to win—it’s simple.

“There is no pressure and we are not thinking about what comes next.

“We will see where we are at the end of the season.

“All I am concerned about is scoring goals, playing well and getting victories for the team.

“I am really enjoying my football just now and am looking forward to the Hamilton match.”

Antoine-Curier’s goals tally is eye-catching, but he admitted he needed a bit of help from manager Alex Rae to keep the run going.

“I am proud of that record,” he said.

“I did something similar in Norway but people were saying it was because it was a lower league blah, blah, blah, but it wasn’t as easy as they said it was.

“At first I was a bit scared about playing in the first division in Scotland because I thought it could be difficult to adapt and get chances to score.

“But the manager, Faz (assistant boss Davie Farrell) and Gordon Wallace have done a good job with me.

“In the first half against Livingston I was not very good, then the manager shouted at me at half-time and I went out and scored two great goals.”

Dens boss Alex Rae, while delighted with Antoine-Curier’s contribution, admitted his forward was still a work in progress.

“He has only been here a month and, in terms of the way we play, he is still adjusting,” he said.

“There are a couple of things we want to work on but, obviously, the main thing is that the goals keep coming.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton-bound striker Derek Lyle has not been ruled out of a substitute’s role against his prospective employers.

Lyle has missed Dundee’s two matches after falling through a glass table but has had his stitches taken out and has been doing some running.

“If he is okay, he will be in the squad, there is no question about that,” said Rae.

Defender Milan Palenik missed the win over Livingston because of a knock but could be back.

Fans are reminded the battle of the big two is all-ticket and approximately 600 remain on sale.