Reid: we didn’t deserve to lose against Queens

Nov 9 2007

BEMUSED Hamilton boss Billy Reid reflected on Saturday’s shock 2-1 defeat against Queen of the South and said: “We should never have lost that game.”

Accies opened the scoring at Palmerston Park, dominated the game and passed up a multitude of chances before two freak own-goals gave Gordon Chisholm’s Doonhamers full points.

But Reid said that defeat just makes Saturday’s New Douglas Park clash with Partick Thistle all the more important.

He will probably go into the game with a similar line-up to the one he fielded in Dumfries, with Irish defender David Elebert now looking unlikely to be fit until Hamilton travel to second-placed Dundee on November 24.

With an international break between Saturday’s game and the trip to Dens Park, Reid knows a win against the Jags is important.

He said: “It’s a big game, but that’s going to be the case for us every week now, because we’re there to be shot down.

“I’m not saying that I’m not worried about Partick Thistle, but we won’t change much from Saturday because I thought we played well — apart from two moments of madness.

“These things happen in football — you can’t win every game — but if we continue to do the right things, work hard and progress, then I will be happy.

“We’re the home side though, so we’re looking for the three points.”

Reid was left shaking his head in disbelief following Saturday’s defeat and said: “We know we shouldn’t have lost that football match; we controlled it.

“Without meaning to be disrespectful to Queen of the South, I thought there was a huge gulf in class between the two teams and I don’t think they mustered anything of any note until they scored.

“I thought my captain Alex Neil dominated the middle of the park, our two young boys, James McCarthy and James McArthur did well, David Winters and Richard Offiong caused them problems, and with a wee bit more luck with our final pass we could have added two or three more goals.

“Losing two own goals was disappointing because we’ve not been making many mistakes this season, but two basic errors killed us on Saturday and that isn’t like us.

“However, while we were disappointed to lose Saturday’s game we’re not down.”

Reid wasn’t overly concerned that Dundee cut Hamilton’s lead to three points with a last-minute win over St Johnstone at Dens Park.

He’s happy just to have a lead at the summit at this stage, and said: “It was always going to be tight; I doubt that we’re going to run away and win the league by 15 points or something like that.

“Dundee beating St Johnstone was actually quite good and might work in our favour, because it keeps Saints 10 points behind us.”

He added: “If somebody had said that after 12 games we’d be three points clear at the top of the league I would have been happy, but there’s a lot of football still to be played.”

Reid was also disappointed to exit the CIS Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 defeat against Dundee United at Tannadice last Wednesday, but felt his side acquitted themselves well.

He said: “It’s a learning process and shows how big a step-up it is to go to the Premier League.

“For us to go to a place like Tannadice and get a result we need our full squad.

“It’s all right bringing young players through in the First Division but to do it at that level is quite difficult.”