Accies can take positives in defeat

Hamilton captain Michael Devlin insists there were positives to take despite losing 2-0 to champions-elect Celtic at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Moussa Dembele struck either side of the interval to ensure the Glasgow giants maintained their near-perfect domestic run, but Devlin was pleased that Accies worked hard to keep a free-scoring Celtic side at bay for long periods of the game.

Devlin said:“i think there are positives to be taken from the game.

“We stuck together quite well, we had a good shape, we were disciplined and went about our task fairly well.

“The first goal we lost was a wonderstrike, to be perfectly honest. It was a great turn, and he stuck it into the top corner – there’s not much you can do about that.

“The game-plan had been working really well but sometimes when you’re playing against the best teams they’re capable of doing that, they have good individual players.

“For that, I don’t think there was much of a threat in the first half, although they hit the bar from a chance, but other than that I don’t think there was much in it.

“You always look to take positives from every game you’re in – and the more positives the better.

“The main thing you’re looking for is the result and we didn’t get that on Saturday. But the manager spoke to us after the game and we were all disappointed not to take something.

“I think there were a lot of decent performances out there, the team stuck together, worked hard and made it really difficult for a team that is scoring at will at the moment. There were good things to take from the game.”

Hamilton worked hard and kept their shape for the most part against Celtic but they were undone on the stroke of half-time when Dembele executed a great turn and chipped a right-foot shot into the top-right corner from just outside the box.

Massimo Donati felled Kieran Tierney in 58 minutes and Dembele rammed the penalty into the bottom-right corner to seal the points.

There were chances for both sides apart from that but those were the main talking points.

Hamilton started well and in two minutes Steven Boyd got the ball forward to Danny Redmond but he sent an angled shot harmlessly wide of the right post.

Celtic midfielder James Forrest was forced off with a knee injury following a challenge with Redmond. While the Scotland star was injured, the tackle was a fair one.

A Hamilton defensive error allowed Stuart Armstrong to play the ball back to Tierney in 19 minutes but his angled shot flew wide of the right post.

Four minutes later a Scott Sinclair shot from distance sailed over the top right corner.

Hamilton found themselves with a great chance to break the deadlock in 24 minutes when Darian Mackinnon picked out Dougie Imrie on the left but he sliced a shot wide of the near post with options available.

Celtic passed up a gilt-edged chance in 31 minutes when Tierney’s driven cross from the left beat everyone and left Armstrong with an open goal but he sent his shot off the bar.

Donati blocked a netbound Sinclair shot in 54 minutes but three minutes later the damage was done.

Sinclair had the ball in the net in 71 minutes from a Gary Mackay-steven pass but was flagged offside.

Hamilton had a great chance to pull a goal back three minutes into stoppage time when Greg Docherty’s cross from the left was headed by Eamonn Brophy but Craig Gordon got a hand up to slap it over the bar.