McHugh just happy to win scrappy derby

HAMILTON 0 MOTHERWELL 1

Motherwell’s Carl McHugh admitted there was no chance of their high-pressure Lanarkshire derby producing a classic football match – especially on Hamilton’s “terrible” pitch – but he claimed their 1-0 victory was exactly the sort of game he enjoys.

Well moved three points above Accies in the Ladbrokes Premiership and saved themselves from automatic relegation after Louis Moult’s untidy header looped into the net after Elliott Frear’s free-kick.

The ball soared over the wet artificial surface for much of the game and Kevin Clancy handed out 10 yellow cards as both sides battled to avoid the play-off position ahead of the final two matches of the season.

Both sides had a couple of firsthalf chances and it always looked like one goal would win it. And Moult came up trumps with his sixth goal against Hamilton this season after visiting goalkeeper Russell Griffiths produced an excellent stop from Alex D’Acol.

Stand-in defender McHugh said: “Hammy (Steven Hammell) threw a ball back to me in the first half and it took a bobble and nearly skipped away from me so after that I wasn’t going to take any chances.

“I don’t think I made a pass, I just headed it and kicked it. But needs must. The pitch is terrible. How you are playing on a pitch like that at this level, I don’t know.

“It’s just about results at this stage of the season, no one is going to remember the performance. We have played good football in the last few weeks at home and got nothing from it.

“It’s a results business so we will take it and move on.”

Hamilton manager Martin Canning said: “We need to beat Ross County and we need to beat Dundee on Saturday ad hope that’s enough,” he said.

“We have to keep fighting. That’s what we’ve always done here but we still believe we can do it.”

Louis Moult: netted the winner for Motherwell.