PARTICK THISTLE 0
HAMILTON ACCIES 4 Ryan (17, 50), Moyo (45), Winter (63)
Hamilton Accies pulled further clear of the relegation zone and put a huge dent in Partick Thistle’s title hopes with a stroll in the Firhill sunshine.
Victory lifts Hamilton nine points above rock-bottom Dunfermline while Thistle trail leaders Kilmarnock by 11 with just one game in hand.
Visiting boss Stuart Taylor said: “We knew coming here that we had to play the pitch and a different type of way.
“I will be the first to admit that there wasn’t an ounce of football played but we put the ball into good areas and were ruthless in front of goal. We were very resilient in the way we went about our work and won every individual battle.
“I’m starting to look up. If we keep getting points and doing what we can do, then we will start to move up the table.”
The visitors took the lead in the 17th minute when Jamie Sneddon let David Moyo charge down his clearance, then dropped the ball as it looped in the air, allowing Moyo to collect inside the box and square for Andy Ryan to score from close-range.
They doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time, with Daniel O’reilly’s long ball finding Moyo, who took it down, beat Tunji Akinola, and finished well with a low, angled drive into the far corner.
Ryan notched the visitors’ third and his second five minutes after the restart when Mihai Popescu headed Kieran Mcdonald’s corner back into the danger area WHEREFOOTBALLCLUB the striker smashed the ball into the roof of the net.
Taylor’s side were absolutely rampant and added a fourth after an error by Ciaran Mckenna, whose header back to Sneddon lacked sufficient pace, and Andrew Winter gratefully nipped in and lobbed the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.
It could have been more bar some smart saves from Sneddon but it was a fantastic performance from Accies, just when they needed it most.
Dejected Jags boss Ian Mccall admitted: “It was a disappointing 90 minutes. We made a lot of individual errors.
“The first goal was just a joke and at Firhill that changes the complexion of the game. I told them we needed to play a certain way and we just didn’t do it. They kept passing the ball and you can’t do that on the surface.”