Reid confident Hamilton can avoid relegation

Apr 23 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

BILLY REID has targeted three points against Kilmarnock on Saturday week as Hamilton enter the final straight in their bid to beat the drop.

Jim Jefferies’ men visit New Douglas Park on Saturday, May 2, in the first of Hamilton’s remaining five fixtures, with the hosts still needing points to stay in the SPL.

Reid admitted he was quite happy with Hamilton’s post-split fixture list – which sees Killie, Falkirk and Motherwell visit New Douglas Park alongside trips to Inverness and St Mirren – and he’s confident his side will do enough to stay in the top flight.

He said: “We start off with Kilmarnock at home and that’s a game for us to look forward to. They have their striker Kevin Kyle suspended for that one and that’s good news for us because he’s been doing well.

“Kilmarnock are on a decent run; they’ve taken four points out of their last six, and they will be difficult opponents but it’s a home game and it’s up to us to take the game to them.”

He added: “I’m fairly happy with the way the split fixtures have turned out. Being told we’re going up to Inverness for a third time was slightly surprising but that’s just something that gets thrown up sometimes.

“There’s no point in being negative about it and I think the split does work because there’s a lot going on at various stages of the league.”

Despite taking an early lead at Inverness on Saturday through a superb set-piece strike by James Gibson – his first of the season – Hamilton were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw after Brian Kerr’s shot took a wicked deflection off Martin Canning for the equaliser with three minutes left.

Reid said: “It felt like a defeat, without a doubt. To concede a goal with three minutes to go was really hard for us to take and the fact that it was a deflection was a real kick in the teeth for the players, who were gutted after the game.

“In the first half, we were brilliant and dominated. They pinned us back a bit in the second half but without really posing a threat. Had we held on for the win, that would have gone a long way towards safety.

“The players were devastated on the way back home but we’ve told them they have to take hits along the way and it’s how they react to them that is important.”

Hamilton received good news on Monday when three long-term crocks returned in a 1-0 reserve defeat by Kilmarnock.

Striker Richard Offiong played for 70 minutes but had a reaction to his knee injury afterwards, defender David Elebert played 45 minutes and “cruised” through the game, and Mark Corcoran played the second half, his first action since November.

Reid hopes the trio will be available for the run-in and said: “We’re getting stronger all the time.”

Meanwhile, the Hamilton boss said PFA Scotland nominations for James McCarthy and James McArthur in the Young Player of the Year category show how far the club have come in recent years.

Reid has also been nominated for a top award, which could see him retain the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year award he won last season, but he insists the focus is firmly on staying up.

He said: “We’ve come a really long way in the last few years and people need to be a wee bit more patient with us at times. I know they want to see a winning team but for the first time this season I noticed that our fans were a wee bit edgy in the game against Dundee United. I would ask people to be a wee bit more patient with us.

“I’m up for the Manager of the Year award but that is down to everyone at the club from the chairman down. I’m in charge so I’ll take the plaudits when we do well but I’ll also get the criticism when we don’t.

“The important thing for me is to make sure that we get enough points to stay in the SPL and I’m confident that we will.”