Dundee players dejected at top six failure, says Paul Hartley

Dundee’s failure to make the top six has left his players dejected, manager Paul Hartley admitted.

Gary Harkins’ fine second half goal was not enough for the Dark Blues, who couldn’t peg back two first half Hamilton strikes.

And the defeat meant they slipped below the split line.

Hartley said: “It’s a massive blow for us. We had aspirations of getting into the top six, and it was in our own hands, but we didn’t perform.

“In the first half we couldn’t cope with the physicality of Hamilton and we just didn’t turn up. In the second half we were a little bit better but overall it’s poor.

“It’s a major blow for us, it’s a major disappointment. The dressing room was quiet, because we set our sights high this season, we wanted to be in the top six and we thought we could get there.

“We wanted to try and be in the top half, playing against the better teams, and the players have been great for the majority of the season, but we let ourselves down.

“We wanted to be there, there is no doubt about it, but we’ve got to keep going. Our aim now is to try and finish seventh, and we’ll be doing our best to try and do that.”