Brian Rice has told his Hamilton side to take more of their chances as they bid to progress in the Betfred Cup.
Accies’ Group F fate isn’t entirely in their own hands, as Partick Thistle (on seven points) hosted basement side Clyde, while third-placed Airdrie entertained Queen’s Park last night (Wednesday).
A Thistle win means they can’t be caught as leaders, and it could then be between Accies and Airdrie for second place when they clash head-on at the Penny Cars Stadium on Saturday.
Either way, nothing less than a win in North Lanarkshire will do.
Hamilton are on six points with two draws and a win, and a bonus point from a 6-5 shoot-out win over Thistle, following a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
While pleased with character shown in the shoot-out, Rice felt they should have won the game outright.
“We had plenty of chances in the second half, especially when we went 2-1 up, and we have to be more ruthless,” said Rice.
“We allowed Partick Thistle back into the game to score an equaliser, which is disappointing, but we showed a bit of character to win on penalties.
“It’s always good to win, and the extra point may help us to either qualify first or as the best runner-up – we just need to wait and see how that pans out – but I’m just disappointed not to win the game, with the effort and the chances we had in the second half.
“We go into the game against Airdrie hoping we can win the game and trying everything we can to win it, and hopefully then we’ll see where we are.
“If things go according to plan, we’ll have a chance to qualify.”
Rice was happy with some aspects of the game and says young Ross Cunningham did well.
He said: “It was great to see Ross making his debut and getting a couple of goals, and playing very well in the match. I’ve got lots to think about after that; attacking-wise in the second half we were good, got crosses and shots in, got a couple of goals, but in the first half it wasn’t good enough.”
The Hamilton head coach says he isn’t finished in the transfer market, and appealed for patience.
“I’m never happy, I’m always looking to get better than what I’ve got,” he said. “It’s very difficult at this time of year, there are a lot of players about, but we’re trying to build a squad, we’re trying to build a team. That’s going to take a bit of time, but we need to get there quickly."
