Lacklustre Accies are beaten by champions
HAMILTON ACADEMICAL .................. 0 FALKIRK .................................................. 2
Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin felt his side lacked ‘urgency and intensity’ in their defeat to League One champions Falkirk on Saturday.
Having lost out on the title to the Bairns, Accies had a chance to gain some form of revenge by halting Falkirk’s incredible unbeaten run but the visitors extended their record to 33 games with a 2-0 win at New Douglas Park.
Ross Maciver pounced on a rebound five minutes into the second half to break the deadlock and then Aidan
Nesbitt robbed Ben Williamson of possession on the edge of the box to net the clincher four minutes from time.
It consigned Accies to a third defeat in four meetings with the Bairns this season - the other was a 0-0 draw - and ended Hamilton’s unbeaten streak of six games.
Rankin said: “We are disappointed with the result. I don’t think there was a lot in the game in the first half.
“We have two good chances - Stephen Hendrie when he is one-on-one and Ahkeem Rose with his header over the bar - but we don’t take them and when you don’t take your chances, you get punished.
“I don’t think we were cut open at any time.
“In the second half, they got the freekick and we don’t react well enough when the ball comes off the post so I am disappointed to concede that one.
“After that, I felt we lacked urgency and intensity to get back into it, which is disappointing.
“We chase it and change various things, but the second goal is as poor a goal as we have conceded all season.
“We get caught and find ourselves 2-0 down.
“We have been on a good run recently but unfortunately we couldn’t get anything out of this game.”
Accies were missing several players for the clash and Rankin admitted that while that didn’t help their cause, he was not using it as an excuse.
He added: “We are not going to make any excuses about injuries.
“We’ve got a good few out. Kevin O’hara has played almost every game this season but has missed the last two weeks, Jackson Longridge is the same, Jamie Barjonas is struggling with different bits, although he still played, and obviously we have Kyle Macdonald out [having fractured his skull] as well.
“We are at a stage of the season where people are carrying knocks and you are asking them to get through it. “A couple will be back soon, hopefully “Our focus is not on the next few games, but making sure we are in good condition for the play-offs. That is the bigger picture.”
Accies visit Montrose on Saturday.