Mark McLaughlin reckons Accies are no longer scared of the Old Firm.

Jan 14 2010 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

DEFENDER Mark McLaughlin reckons the secret to Hamilton’s fine show on Sunday was simply playing their own game rather than worrying about Rangers.

But he said Accies need to take that philosophy into league fixtures and prove they’re a good side.

Sunday’s 3-3 Scottish Cup fourth-round draw against the holders was the first time Hamilton had avoided defeat in 15 attempts against Rangers, dating back to that legendary 1-0 win at Ibrox in January 1987.

Marko said: “We just went out and tried to play our game and in the first half it worked. In the second half, we didn’t get that much of the ball, whereas in the first half we had Alex Neil, who is a massive player for us, on the ball a lot.”

McLaughlin added: “It was an eventful game! Obviously, when you go 2-0 down you fear the worst but I thought we showed great team spirit to get back into the game and go 3-2 up.

“I was disappointed not to win and to be honest I didn’t really think Rangers should have got a penalty but these things happen.

“I thought we did enough to win the game but we conceded poor goals and that’s something we need to address.

“Going forward we were great and scored goals and that was fantastic but defensively – all over the park, not just at the back – we need to tighten up.

“We showed a lot of character and it shows you what the team spirit is like but we need to continue to do that till the end of the season.”

McLaughlin feels that Hamilton are improving in every game and hopes that will stand them in good stead as they bid to beat the drop for a second successive season.

He said: “Not a lot of people would have given us a chance of getting a result against Rangers but we showed that we’re a good side and we need to continue that.

“If we keep our starting 11 fit, then we’re a match for everybody. We went to Celtic Park on Boxing Day and, OK, we lost 2-0, but I thought we did well and were unfortunate to get a goal chalked off, which would have made it 1-1.

“It shows that we are improving as a team. We play as a team and we battle hard for each other.”

At 35, Mark is one of the elder statesmen at the club but believes he can play for another four or five years.

“I feel fitter now than I ever have in my career,” he said.