Accies in payback mood for Killie visit
Canning still smarting from smash-and-grab
Martin Canning has warned his Hamilton players that they must take their chances against Kilmarnock on Saturday, having been the victims of a smash-and-grab earlier this season.
Back in August Accies were 1-0 up and cruising, thanks to a Louis Longridge strike, but Kris Boyd’s bulleted header and a wonder-strike by Souleymane Coulibaly saw the Ayrshire side emerge with an unlikely 2-1 win.
Killie are unbeaten at New Douglas Park since 2010, and that is a record that Canning is keen to shatter as Accies bid to move further away from the Scottish Premiership drop-zone.
Canning said: “It was a smash-andgrab – it was probably one of our best performances of the season.
“We were very good, created a number of opportunities, and they scored two goals in four minutes to beat us 2-1.
“Even at that, Richard Roy was through on goal and probably should have scored to make it 2-2.
“We missed quite a few opportunities, and if that happens on Saturday we need to make sure we take them.
“Kilmarnock have had a good season, they’re a good side, they work hard, they’re well organised and have quality players.
“We know it’s going to be a really difficult game, but we know that if we work as hard as we can we’re capable of taking three points.
“We need to make sure we take care of Saturday’s game, which is huge for us. We’re on the back of a good run, we’ve had a break and we need to make sure we pick up from where we left off, with the same intensity, and that we go and try to get three points.
“We know we’ve worked hard all week and we need to put the same effort in as we have in the last couple of games.”
Lee Mcculloch’s men were competing with Partick Thistle for the coveted sixth place, but a Hamilton win could take them above their visitors.
That shows how tight the league table currently is, and that is a point not lost on Canning.
He said: “We’ve been saying season how tight this league is.
“The way it was looking, even back before Christmas, was that pretty much everyone in the bottom six could potentially be involved in a relegation battle, and the team that finished sixth was probably going to be the only team that was going to be safe – and that’s the way it has turned out.
“There is very little between the teams, from Inverness to Kilmarnock, so it’s about your attitude, your application on the day, and making sure you’re the team that is hungry enough to go and win it.” all
Midfielder Darian Mackinnon and Greek right-back Giannis Skondras miss Saturday’s game through suspension, and although Grant Gillespie won’t resume training until Monday, Canning doesn’t think the pair’s absence will pose a major problem, in terms of seeking replacements.
He said: “We have players who can come in and do a job for us and it shouldn’t be an issue.
“It’s an opportunity for guys who haven’t played, or have been out, to come straight back in.
“When the team is winning you could potentially find yourself out of the picture, so it’s an opportunity for a couple of guys to come in and try to stake their claim.”
There will be a minute’s applause in the 43rd minute of Saturday’s game to remember Hamilton supporter Graham Guy, who passed away at that age, and for elderly fan Alex Hamilton from Uddingston, who was 91.
The club urge supporters that “Wherever you go for your after-match on Saturday evening, please raise a glass to both.”
We need to put the same effort in as we’ve done in the last couple of games