Neil: Accies Have Hit 'Sticky' Form

Photo by Jeff Holmes Alex Neil admits the rigours of top-flight football have hit home at Hamilton in recent weeks. After coming up from the Championship through the play-off last season, the Lanarkshire club lost their opening match of the Premiership campaign at home to Inverness before going on a remarkable 11-game unbeaten run which helped them go top of the table. However, last week's 2-0 William Hill Scottish Cup fourth-round defeat at Partick meant Accies have won only once in their last six matches, and in the Premiership they have dropped to fourth. Ahead of the trip to play Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday, the Hamilton player/manager conceded recent form has been "patchy" and put it down to the toll this season's efforts have taken on his squad. "If you are looking at results our form hasn't been particularly great," he said. "Against Partick we didn't move the ball anywhere near quick enough and were disappointed in that performance. "But I didn't get carried away after the first 10 games or so when we were doing really well. "I knew we were always going to come to a sticky point. For promoted teams with so many young players it is difficult. "Mentally and physically, it can drain them having to get themselves to the levels we have shown week-in, week-out. "Seasoned professionals find it difficult, never mind young lads, so it has taken its toll a little bit. "It's not as if it is an individual player here or there, it seems to be a group thing. "However, what generally happens is that you get your second wind. "We did it last year. We hit a sticky spell at this time last year for whatever reason but we came through it and had a great run until the end of the season. So I am hoping it will be similar this season." Aberdeen were also knocked out of the Scottish Cup last week when David Clarkson's last-gasp winner gave Dundee a 2-1 win at Dens Park. Neil believes that disappointment will make the Dons desperate to make amends in front of their own fans with a similar performance to the one produced in the 1-0 League Cup quarter-final win over Hamilton in October. He said: "I watched a lot of their game and to be fair I thought Aberdeen were really unfortunate. "I thought they were the better side but Dundee took their chance and Aberdeen found themselves out of the cup. "So they will be hurting as well as we are and they will be looking to bounce back at home. "It is going to be a difficult game. The last time we played Aberdeen up there, for the first 45 minutes they were excellent and caused us a lot of problems. "The game could have been done at half-time because they were by far the better side. "So we will be looking to give a far better account of ourselves."