An armchair view perfect for Bingham
RAKISH BINGHAM knows what it is like to be a Hamilton hero in the battle against relegation. But 12 months on, the striker has no intention of walking the tightrope of the Premiership play-offs again. Bingham scored the opening goal in Accies’ final-day 4-0 victory against Dundee last year — a win that proved crucial in helping Martin Canning’s side avoid the drop by a single point. The 24-year-old then played his part to the full as his club’s survival was finally secured across 180 minutes of an unforgiving play-off drama against Dundee United, which ended with Greg Docherty’s winner. Fast-forward a year, and Bingham is hoping for a win at Dens Park at lunchtime today that would take him a giant step closer to his aim of watching the play-offs on BT Sport from the comfort of his own living room. ‘I have good memories of the run-in last season,’ he said. ‘We beat Dundee and then we stayed up via the play-offs. ‘It’s crazy that we are in a similar position this year, but I am confident we can get out of trouble. ‘I think that confidence comes from experience. We have been in this position before and we know what we need to do to get out of it. ‘There is added pressure in the play-offs, but the situation we are in is nothing we can’t handle. ‘We will take on the pressure with confidence and we will look to do the job again. ‘It would be nice, though, to have a year when we are not dragged into it. That was supposed to be this season. ‘It would be nice to sit back and watch on TV as two other teams fight it out to stay up. ‘I’ve not had that pleasure since I’ve been at Hamilton — but I’m sure it’s just around the corner.’ Accies and Dundee are both on 33 points and victory for either team would put them within touching distance of safety. ‘We are taking each game as it comes, but I feel a win would put us in a much better position,’ added Bingham. ‘It would give us a cushion for the remaining two matches and would mean we are not looking over our shoulders as much. So it’s a huge game against Dundee. ‘The split in the Premiership is decent for the fans to watch because it’s so exciting. ‘It’s not so decent for the players to be involved in, but it’s part and parcel of being a footballer. You have to deal with the situation and do your job. ‘Games against Dundee are never easy, so we will have to be at our best today to win. We need to go there with a winning mentality. ‘Consistency is one of the biggest things in football and I just feel we’ve not been consistent this season. ‘It’s hard to take positives but in the periods when we have been consistent this season, we have looked like a really good team. ‘You learn as you go along and, hopefully, we can build on it and look higher up the table. ‘I do feel we are more than capable of going higher. Earlier this season, the gaffer said that this is one of the best Hamilton squads there has been and I agree. ‘The squad is really strong. We just need to prove that on a consistent basis.’