Hamilton boss Brian Rice hopes they can go on a Scottish Cup run to give his Scottish Premiership side a real confidence booster heading into the business end of the season.
Accies host St Mirren in the third round on Saturday, two weeks after drawing 1-1 with them in the league, and Rice doesn’t expect many changes to that line-up because he’s limited in what he can do.
The Accies head coach doesn’t expect both defenders Jamie Hamilton and Aaron Martin to be available, but has his fingers crossed one of them will make it.
And he’s hoping a good run will help his rock bottom side’s battle for survival in the league, which steps up a gear next week with the post-split fixtures.
Rice said: “It’s a Scottish Cup tie, it’s our first one this year, and we’re really looking forward to it.
“It’s always important to get a good cup run for morale, to get into a winning habit, but it has come at a very strange time in the season to be starting the cup.
“We take it one game at a time, but we’re looking forward to the game. I don’t expect anything different from the last time, it’s a cup tie, I expect St Mirren to look to come and win the tie in 90 minutes, same as we will be doing.
“The total focus is on the Scottish Cup tie, and once we get through that the total focus will be on the next league game.
“The players understand that, especially at this time when football is in the position it’s in.
“We just need to take it gradually, and that’s what we have been doing.
“We know the threat they can create for us, but we’re hoping to get a cup run, so my focus is mainly on us, and mainly on the team I will be able to put out.
“We’re going to try and win the game, but we’ve got selection problems, the normal injury problems, so I can’t make too many changes.”
Accies have suffered well-documented injury woes over the course of the season and there’s no sign of that letting up ahead of this cup tie.
Rice added: “I have one or two new injuries and Marley Redfern for example, who has been on the bench, he’s cup-tied.
“Aaron Martin came off against St Mirren last time and has only just resumed training, and Jamie Hamilton missed the last game, so he will probably miss this one as well – added to all the other problems that we’ve got.
“I’m hoping one of them will be available, but I don’t think the two of them will be.”
The clash will be streamed live on Accies TV this weekend, in a joint venture with the Buddies.
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