Scottish Premiership bottom club Hamilton Academical face an imminent relegation after losing a crucial six-pointer at Ross County.
Accies have been a feature of the top-flight since their promotion back in 2014, but due to the massively inferior goal difference between themselves and 11th placed Kilmarnock, Brian Rice’s side now require a daunting nine goal final day victory to move off the foot of the table.
The away side’s quest for a first set of consecutive wins all season had gotten off to a promising start – Scott McMann’s smart free-kick squirmed it’s way under the wall and gave a 1-0 lead midway through the first-half.
Any advantage however wasn’t to last for long, just two minutes later the ball broke kindly to Blair Spittal on the edge of the area, his effort curling by Accies ‘keeper Kyle Gourlay.
Gourlay might have felt he could’ve done better with the equaliser, but the host’s second of the evening didn’t make for much of a better watch. Charlie Lakin’s strike appeared to go straight through the Hamilton stopper on it’s way into the bottom corner, all but sealing Accies’ Championship fate.
Hamilton now look to be changing their focus to next season’s promotion ambitions. Despite the likes of Dunfermline, Partick Thistle and Inverness being joined by two of Kilmarnock, Dundee and Raith Rovers, Brian Rice is still confident his side can bounce back up at the first attempt, he said:
“It’s very hard to explain, we’re used to being the team that everybody says will go down. Eventually they’ve been proven right. Eventually.
Rice added “We need to take it on the chin, and regroup and make sure we are ready to go when the new season kicks off. We played really, really well. Not to take a point is disappointing, but to lose is devastating.
“You see my team out there tonight, fighting for everything. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t enough.”
The last day of the Scottish Premiership season sees Hamilton attempt to take nine off Kilmarnock on Sunday, whilst County go to already safe Motherwell knowing a point will keep them clear of the play-off position in 11th.
Featured Image Credit – Sky Sports
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