Canning set for ‘huge game’

Hamilton boss Martin Canning is refusing to look too far ahead as his side battle for Ladbrokes Premiership survival.

Accies host Kilmarnock on Saturday – the only top-flight game of the weekend – in a rearranged match after the original was postponed in December.

They once again find themselves in the scrap to avoid relegation having survived the play-off last season, but this time hold a four-point advantage over Ross County, with Partick Thistle a point further back.

With just six games to go – everyone else has five – two wins could be enough to secure another season in the top flight, while even one would put a big gap between themselves and the bottom two.

But Canning, whose side have suffered four defeats on the bounce for the third time this season, is refusing to set points targets for his squad.

“I never do that,” he said. “When you start looking at possible tallies and what you want to get to, it can take away from the most important thing which is the next game.

“The next game is the most important and if we can win that we’re on 33 and look to go from there, and that’s the only way we can look at it.

“I don’t see any point in aiming for 39 or whatever. When you start doing that you can start counting points you’ve not got and that can become difficult.”

He added: “This is a huge game. We have the opportunity to put seven points between ourselves, Ross County and Partick.

“It would be silly to say that’s not important, but we know we have to put the work in to get that and it’s not a case of looking at the league and saying ‘we can get three points there’.

“It’s about working hard to get the points to put yourself in a place where you can approach the last five games with confidence.”

Picture: SNS. Martin Canning is refusing to set points targets.