Hamilton Academical 2 - 0 Queen of the South

EARLY days, of course, but with three wins from three outings under their belt, Alex Neil’s young Hamilton team could be shaping up for a memorable season.

Assuming, that is, they continue to play with the same confidence and freedom they exhibited yesterday in inflicting the first league defeat of the season on Second Division champions Queen of the South.

Accies started sprightly as their prominent diamond formation dominated right from the off, with Mikey Devlin heading wide when he really out to have bulged the net.

Queens chased shadows for much of the opening half and could only look on thankfully as Accies struggled to make their supremacy tell, with Jon McShane skimming the woodwork and Darian MacKinnon, deployed at the top of the diamond, bringing out a smart save from visiting keeper Calum Antell.

Justice finally prevailed six minutes from the break, MacKinnon’s strike from the edge of the area this time finding its way past Antell, albeit with the aid of a massive wrong-footing deflection.

Queens offered far more after the break and could have been level just short of the hour mark when former Accies striker Derek Lyle was denied only by the quick reactions of Kevin Cuthbert in the home goal.

The men from Dumfries came even closer soon after as Mark Durnan’s downward header bounced back into play off the base of the post, and sub Gavin Reilly was inches away, having chipped the advancing Cuthbert.

Having ridden their luck a 
little, Accies killed the game off with a sublime second.

A series of short incisive passes lacerated a befuddled visiting rearguard, allowing substitute Andy Ryan a relatively simple finish.