Accies boss Billy Reid says: It's in our hands

Mar 13 2008

HAMILTON boss Billy Reid looked ahead to Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash against Dundee and declared: “It’s in our own hands.”

Tuesday’s round of fixtures saw Hamilton’s lead cut to three points, as Accies drew 1-1 at Dunfermline while the Taysiders dumped Livingston 2-0.

Dundee have a game in hand against Partick Thistle at Firhill on April 1, but Reid knows victory in Saturday’s blockbuster will pile the pressure on Alex Rae’s side.

He said: “We’re the home team, we’ve got to go and try to win the game, force the issue, and if we do that we go six points clear.

“They’ll be looking to win the game and cut us back, but we know that and we’ll be ready.

“We’ve had two games this season, we’ve won 2-0, they’ve won 1-0 and we missed a penalty the last time, which hurt us badly, but these things happen.

“We’re three points clear at the moment and Dundee have a game in hand at Firhill, but they have to win that and it’s always better to have points in the bag.

“Dundee have still to play Partick Thistle and Morton, and they go to Queen of the South on the second-last day of the season, so they don’t have an easy run-in.

“But it’s what we do that’s important – we’re the home side, we’ve got a terrific record at New Douglas Park, and it’s in our own hands.

“We know we need to win, or at least take something from the game, and we know what to expect.”

Reid hailed his side’s fighting spirit following Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Dunfermline, and feels that puts his side in a good position.

He said: “It was always going to be a difficult game and we warned the players early doors that we had taken nine points out of nine against Dunfermline – you could see that they made it a cup tie right from the off.

“I’m bemused by the penalty decision. I think Tomas Cerny had clashed with the guy, the two fell over each other and the ref’s given a penalty, which in my opinion is soft.

“We went 1-0 down at East End Park against a team that wanted to turn us over, because we’ve beat them 3-0 and 5-0 in our last two games, and that was evident for me.

“From there I thought our fighting spirit was evident in terms of how much we want to win this championship, and that’s all I ask from my players.

“We worked really hard to get back into the game, scored and we deserved it.

“If we play the way we can do at home then it will be interesting on Saturday and we’ll see who has the best players.

“We’ve got a good home record and we’re confident, but they’re on a good run as well and we know it’s not going to be easy.”

Reid was delighted with Saturday’s 3-0 win over Morton, following last week’s draw at Queen of the South, and the gaffer was pleased to see his side bounce back.

He said: “To lose players of the calibre of Alex Neil, James McArthur, James Grady and Tom Parratt, and still win 3-0, was an exceptional performance.

“Morton were fighting for their lives, they came here with a new management team, and made things difficult for us.

“But my players keep bouncing back, they give me everything and that’s all I ask as a manager.

“However, it will all count for nothing if we don’t finish with the big prize.”

Defender Tom Parratt will see a specialist this week on a foot injury, but Reid hopes it’s not a recurrence of a broken metatarsal.