Hamilton 2 Motherwell 0
Marios Ogkmpoe backheeled his first goal for Hamilton to send them on their way to a 2-0 derby win over Motherwell.
The January signing from Crete showed some smart thinking to net from an 11th-minute corner and Hamilton set about frustrating their Lanarkshire rivals.
And they eased their relegation fears after David Templeton capitalised on a misunderstanding in the Motherwell midfield to net a second in the 69th minute.
Hamilton's second victory in a row saw them move into ninth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership, eight points above bottom club Ross County.
Motherwell could not seriously trouble Gary Woods in the Hamilton goal as they failed to cut a four-point deficit on Hearts. With the top three to play in their next three games, their chances of sneaking a top-six place took a massive blow at the SuperSeal Stadium.
Accies got ahead after Templeton's corner fell to Ogkmpoe inside the six-yard box following two challenges. The striker had his back to goal but did well to scoop the ball towards goal with his heel and Motherwell wing-back Richard Tait could only head it into the roof of the net.
Accies' three-man defence were comfortable enough for the rest of the half as they sat back. Tait and Curtis Main had strikes at goal but not from areas which could trouble Woods and the latter headed over from a difficult chance.
Hamilton continued to frustrate Motherwell after the break and visiting boss Stephen Robinson made a double switch in the 56th minute as Nadir Ciftci and Gael Bigirimana came on.
Carl McHugh had a tame effort saved before getting the chance to emulate last weekend's volleyed winner against Hearts, this time with his favoured left foot, but he sliced over from 20 yards.
After soaking up Motherwell's pressure, Hamilton were almost caught on the break following a set-piece but Chris Cadden overhit his cross to an unmarked Main.
Instead it was the visitors who were caught out after a mix-up just inside their own half. Bigirimana turned away as McHugh passed it to him and Templeton stole possession before driving to the edge of the box and slotting into the far corner despite the Motherwell captain's attempts to push him off the ball.
Accies grew in confidence with the two-goal cushion and it was stoppage-time before Woods received his first serious test as he pushed away Bigirimana's curling effort.