Lacklustre Hamilton were ripped apart by a ruthless Partick Thistle side at a freezing cold New Douglas Park this evening.
A Zak Rudden double and a Brian Graham strike had the Maryhill side home and dry by the hour-mark and in truth they didn't need to work hard for their win.
Rudden opened the scoring early on in the first half, and Thistle sat back on their lead, inviting Accies onto them in an effort to frustrate their opponents, which worked well, with few chances created.
Thistle then ran Accies ragged in the second half, scoring at will. David Moyo added a consolation for Accies, but it mattered little.
Accies boss Stuart Taylor made nine changes from the side that ousted Aberdeen 'B' from the SPFL Trust Trophy third round. Miko Virtanen and Ronan Hughes stayed in, while Ryan Fulton, Luke Matheson, Shaun Want, Mihai Popescu, Kieran MacDonald, Lewis Smith, Josh Mullin, Andy Ryan and Marley Redfern came in.
Out went Joe Hilton, Ben Stirling, Jamie Hamilton, Brian Easton, Chris McGinn, Reegan Mimnaugh, Kyle Munro, Adam McGowan and David Moyo.
Partick Thistle boss Ian McCall made three changes to the side that lost to Queen of the South in the same competition, with Lewis Mayo, Ricky Foster and Stuart Bannigan in for Ciaran McKenna, Stephen Hendrie and Kyle Turner.
Thistle started the better of the two teams and took an early lead, but then sat on that and tried to frustrate Accies - which worked well.
Accies were restricted to few chances, with a Mullin cross just too far ahead of Andy Ryan as he stretched to meet it as good as they created in the first quarter, before Mullin went on a run and forced a decent save from Jamie Sneddon, but that was it from their first half.
Thistle took the lead in seven minutes with the first real chance of the game. Cammy Smith's corner from the left was poorly cleared, giving Rudden a chance to hook the ball over his shoulder and in.
Accies' first chance came in 20 minutes when MacDonald's free kick was headed by Want, but it was comfortably held by James Sneddon.
But they should have been level in 22 minutes when a great ball sent Mullin down the left and his cross was just too far ahead of Ryan, sliding in.
At the other end, Smith sent a shot well over. Mullin showed good strength to go on a run down the middle, but his low shot was well held in 36 minutes.
Matheson had an early chance to level when Ryan's flick gave him space on the right, but he could only find the side-netting from close range.
Thistle went close to doubling their lead in 49 minutes when Stuart Bannigan picked out Rudden with a free kick just outside the box, but his header was well held by Fulton.
Brian Graham then met Scott Tiffoney's cross with a glancing header, but again Fulton was equal to it.
Thistle scored the goal they were threatening in 54 minutes when Tiffoney went darting down the left and onto the bye-line, and his cutback was driven high into the net by Brian Graham.
No sooner had Accies recovered from that set-back but Thistle bagged their fourth in 64 minutes when Tiffoney was allowed to run through the team and play a neat one-two before slotting into the right corner.
Thistle made it 5-0 in 72 minutes when sub Connor Murray was sent through on goal and slammed a low shot past Fulton and into the net.
The visitors were far from finished and bagged a sixth three minute later. Ricky Foster raced down the left and his cur-back was fired off the left post by Tiffoney and hit off Fulton, before Graham slammed it into the net.
Moyo headed one in on 88 minutes for Hamilton but the damage was already well and truly done.
HAMILTON: Fulton, Matheson, Want, Popescu, MacDonald, Virtanen, Smith, Hughes, Mullin, Redfern (Moyo, 62), Ryan.
Subs (not used): Hilton (GK), Stirling, Easton, Hamilton, Munro, McGowan.
Booked: Popescu, Mullin
PARTICK THISTLE: Sneddon, Akinola, Mayo, Holt (McKenna, 10), Foster, Smith (Murray, 67), Docherty, Rudden, Bannigan, Tiffoney. Graham (Hastie, 75).
Subs (not used): McCready (GK), Turner, Gordon, MacIver.
Referee: Euan Anderson.
Booked: Docherty, Graham, Rudden.
Referee: Euan Anderson.
Attendance: 1775
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