Let mistakes make us better – not bitter
Stubbs appeals for patience after derby loss
Hamilton’s young team are going to make mistakes and lose games, says defender Sam Stubbs.
The on-loan Middlesbrough stopper says it’s important for the players to learn from their mistakes, and appealed to fans to show patience.
Stubbs, 20, who is the son of former Celtic and Hibs star Alan, was bitterly disappointed in the 3-1 defeat at home to Motherwell, but said: “I don’t think that result should define us.
“We just need to understand what we’re good at, and you’ve got to remember, when you look at that team, that the back four had an average age of 20. We also have people missing through injury and suspension.
“We need a reaction, but it’s not all doom and gloom for us. We’re Hamilton Accies, we know what we are, we know we’re going to lose football games this year, we’re not naive enough to think that we’re not.
“Because it’s a derby, and probably the way it ended for us, it’s a sore one, but one game is not going to define us.
“We’ve had two really good, positive performances before that against Kilmarnock, but when you’re down to 10 men it’s an uphill battle.
“We’re all learning, we’re going to make mistakes, but the best players learn from the mistakes the fastest.”
Already a goal down to Peter Hartley’s header, Hamilton’s day quickly got worse as young defender Jamie Hamilton was red-carded for hand ball and a penalty awarded, which Liam Donnelly converted.
Although Ross Cunningham pulled a goal back with a penalty for Accies, Chris Long was given the freedom to run through the defence and score a third, six minutes into the second half.
Stubbs hopes Hamilton will work on cutting out errors like those, and go to Hearts on a Saturday with a plan in place to upset the Tynecastle side.
He said: “Obviously it wasn’t the result we were looking for, and it’s killed us a little bit with the red card.
“We need to look at things, see where we went wrong a little bit. Obviously the red card is where we went wrong, but the first goal kills us a little bit as well.
“Hearts are a very good team, and they’re going to be fighting for different things than us, but I’m sure the gaffer and his team will think of a game-plan, and then it’s down to us to go out there and try to implement it.”
Stubbs headed north with advice from dad Alan, but said: “He was more about letting me make my own decisions and he gave me unbiased opinions on the league and facts on what it’s going to be, but the decision lay with me.”