It was a dog-fight but we were ready
Keeper Fulton says final effort shows character
Ryan Fulton says Hamilton winning the SPFL Trust Trophy against some huge odds proves they have the fight to beat the drop from the Championship.
Already massive underdogs going into the final against Raith Rovers at the Falkirk Stadium on Sunday, Accies lost striker Benny Ashley-seal, winger Marley Redfern and defender Matty Shiels to injury in the first half, then had stopper Dan O’reilly shown a straight red for a foul on Sam Stanton.
But Reghan Tumilty’s 30th-minute strike – his first for the club – proved to be the winner on a memorable day for Hamilton and their supporters.
And Fulton wants to use that as a springboard for a run of wins that see them survive in the Championship.
He said: “It’s disappointing to lose a player, but at the same time it’s credit to the lads. We knew we were in a dogfight. We were under a bit of pressure anyway, so losing the man didn’t help.
“But I think what it did was show that we can fight and dig in – and that’s what this club is all about. We’ve lost it a little bit in the past, but I think it’s creeping back in now.
“We have a long way to go between now and the end of the season, and we need to make sure we do our job in the league.
“But the cup win is massive. I think we can take a massive lift from it.
“That’s what we’re going to need between now and the end of the season, with the position we are in the league.
“We’re down there, under pressure, with everything that goes with it, but I think we showed that we can do it.
“We need to dig in deep, and I think we can do that as well.
“But that’s a real positive, winning the trophy, and the fans were great. They’ve not had much to cheer this season, but I’m sure they’ll enjoy that.”
As a goalkeeper, Fulton knew only him or Jamie Smith would get the nod on Sunday.
While Fulton is first-choice, Smith had played every other round in the competition. But the former Liverpool shot-stopper says he wants it, and is now hungry for more.
He said: “Jamie had supported me all week, even though I started, and the gaffer had a chat with him. It’s a credit to him as a guy and as a professional he’s been so supportive.
“It’s a cup final, I want to play, but there’s a part of me that’s disappointed for Jamie as well.
“We have a good relationship and I felt under pressure because Jamie’s doing so well, so I needed to make sure I make the gaffer’s decision right by playing me.
“You want to win trophies, so that’s massive for me. I’ve got a taste for it and I want more, now.”
With a string of top saves, Fulton was man of the match and admitted at times it was like the Alamo – but he was only doing his job.
He said: “The more saves I made, the more I started to think ‘this could be our day’. Everyone was putting their body on the line, getting blocks, getting a bit of luck and that’s what you need.
“We do tend to win a lot of games 1-0, and we need to get ourselves in front and keep the back door shut.
“Once we do get in front, we can be resilient.
“It would have been nice to score another few goals, but we can save them for the league.”