Rice admits Hearts clash is a must-win for Hamilton

HAMILTON ACCIES manager Brian Rice cursed his side’s luck last night — and admitted they must get on the winning trail in next weekend’s relegation battle with Hearts.

Accies have lost each of their last three matches by a single goal and went down at Pittodrie to a 53rd-minute strike from Sam Cosgrove after switching off defensively.

And Rice admits that sequence cannot go on any longer, with Hearts — only above them on goal difference at the foot of the Premiership table — next up at the Fountain of Youth Stadium.

‘My view of the game (at Pittodrie) is that it was similar to the matches against Rangers and Celtic,’ said Rice. ‘It was the same again. We stayed in the game until half-time and then lost a sloppy goal.

‘We kept going to the end, though, and I feel for the boys. They are giving everything they’ve got and we just can’t get a break.

‘It’s fine margins here. We are losing by one goal here and one goal there.

‘We’ve three games to go before the winter break. We need to start picking up points and we need to start next week.’ Accies failed to get a shot on target over the course of the 90 minutes yesterday, with captain Aaron McGowan passing up their best chance towards the end of the first half when seeing a header from a Ross Cunningham free-kick go wide.

‘It’s a good chance from a good ball in,’ added Rice. ‘Aaron is usually good in the air. I am so disappointed for the lads, bearing in mind everything they have given in the last few weeks.

‘We are Hamilton. We know our boundaries and where we can go and recruit.

‘I can’t go and get a Sam Cosgrove or a Lyndon

Dykes.

‘First and foremost, we need hard work and the boys gave everything out there.

‘Aberdeen are supposedly the third-best team in Scotland but we were still trying to get forward in stoppage-time. The belief is there. Maybe the quality lacks a bit, but I can’t ask any more.

‘It would be nice to see. We have played Rangers, Celtic, Livingston and Aberdeen recently, and it has only been a goal here or there.

‘Going into the last 15 minutes, every game has been close.

‘But football is about winning. I know that and the players know that.’