Thumbs down
Hamilton kept alive their chances of progression from Group F of the Betfred Cup with a 6-5 shoot-out win at home to Partick Thistle.
That saw Accies take the extra point after a 2-2 draw, but they will have to win at Airdrie on Saturday in their final group game to get through to the knockout stages.
The sides went in level at half-time after Ryan Williamson’s opener for Thistle was cancelled out inside 60 seconds by Ross Cunningham’s first Hamilton goal.
Cunningham’s second goal in the second half was cancelled out by Shea Gordon, as the game headed for a penalty shoot-out in pursuit of the extra point.
Hamilton scored all six penalties through George Oakley, Cunningham, Ciaran Mckenna, Alex Gogic, Lewis Smith and Scott Mcmann.
Thistle’s Stuart Bannigan, Gordon, Kenny Miller, Lewis Mansell and Alex Jones scored, but Rafa De Vita saw his effort saved by Owain Fon-williams.
Jags should have scored in 12 minutes when Brian Easton was caught in possession by Joe Cardle and he set up Miller.
The former Rangers and Scotland striker’s path to goal was blocked, but the ball came back to Cardle and he sent a ball to the left post, where it was just too far ahead of Gordon.
Thistle then took the lead in 16 minutes. Hamilton’s defence had looked far from convincing, and when they gave Ryan Williamson far too much space on the right he lobbed the ball over Owain Fon-williams and into the left corner.
That lead lasted literally until Accies had taken the kick-off; Scott Mcmann set up Cunningham and he smashed a low shot into the bottom left corner.
A minute into first-half stoppage time, Cunningham let fly with a drive from about 20 yards, but it flew past the left post with keeper Scott Fox a helpless bystander.
Hamilton took the lead in 54 minutes when Cunningham picked up the ball on the left wing, looked up and chipped a lovely shot into the top right corner for his second Accies goal.
Accies nearly went further ahead in 56 minutes when Smith got the break of the ball, steadied himself, and fired a shot past Fox, only to see it crash off the bar and away to safety.
Cunningham tried for his hat-trick with a low shot in 70 minutes, but Fox saved well.
Hamilton went close again as sub Oakley sent a Scott Mcmann cut-back inches past the left post in 72 minutes.
Thistle made Hamilton pay for that as they ran up the other end of the park and Gordon finished well past Fonwilliams in 73 minutes.
It was end to end stuff by this point and when Sean Mcginty brought Oakley down inside the box in 75 minutes, referee John Beaton immediately pointed to the spot, but Aaron Mcgowan sent the penalty over.
Thistle went close in 80 minutes when Penrice found Cardle on the left and his cross/shot flew just past the far post corner, and Miller was sent through on goal in 84 minutes, but Fonwiliams came out well to block.