ALEX NEIL is delighted his all-action approach is paying dividends for Hamilton - but he's surprised it has caught so many observers off guard.

Accies head for Dens Park today a point clear at the top of the Premiership and unbeaten in nine league games.

Their defensive resolve, work ethic and free-flowing attacking have attracted glowing reviews and boss Neil says: "It amazes me that people are surprised when the opposition have got the ball we go and try and get it back.

"That should be a given as far as I am concerned. We don't want to sit off the ball and let people pass it in front of us.

"That's not how I want my teams to play. We are up and at them, we want the ball and to control the game rather than worry about the opposition.

"There has been a lot made of it and, to be honest, it has surprised me. It is as if we have reinvented the wheel a bit. Teams have done it for years, it just so happens that we do it really well."

The fine-tuned Hamilton machine made history with wins over Motherwell, Celtic and Aberdeen in a stunning start to the season for the Premiership newcomers.

Neil received a pre-match boost yesterday when midfield pair Ali Crawford and Grant Gillespie put pen to paper on new deals until 2018.

And he is eager to keep his young stars at the club.

Neil said: "The chairman and the board at this club are really savvy when it comes to business. I don't think any of our young players have walked out the door for free unless we have let them.

"To get the lads tied down for another three years safeguards us against that happening. We have invested a lot of time and money raising these guys as footballers.