Hamilton Accies captain Scott Martin says their survival fate is in their own hands – but they have 10 cup finals left.
The former Hibs midfielder was stand-in for injured Dylan McGowan as Accies battled to a 0-0 draw against 10-man Arbroath, after Ricky Little was red carded in 19 minutes for a foul on Jean-Pierre Tiehi.
Martin admits it was a chance missed to go above Cove Rangers, at least until they play Dundee this afternoon, and move four points clear of their rivals, had they got the win.
But he says all is not lost, with games against the Red Lichties and Cove Rangers still to come.
He said: “It’s in our own hands. We’ve got Arbroath to play, we’ve got Cove to play, so it’s the cliché that these are all six-pointers, and we’ll be looking forward to those games.
“But the next game against Ayr [in a fortnight] is the most important for us, because that’s the one we need to go and win.
“The gaffer said to us in the changing room that it’s 10 cup finals we’ve got [one of which actually is a cup final], and we need to treat it as such.”
Martin says heads were down in the dressing room, because Accies know they could have done better.
Connor Smith forced a few saves from Derek Gaston, as did Reghan Tumilty, but the hosts lacked a cutting edge when it mattered most.
He said: “All the boys are frustrated. We think we could have played a lot better.
“I think that’s an opportunity missed from us.
“It was a great opportunity for us and I think that’s why the boys are so gutted in the changing room.
“As silly as it sounds, the sending off doesn’t really help us, cos they’re fighting for their lives, just the same as us.
“You need to give them credit. They defended for their lives and we weren’t clinical enough in the final third.
“You take the point. It’s a point closer to Cove, and that’s the main goal for us, to try and get above Cove.
“If you look on it on those terms, it’s a positive in that sense, but the boys are gutted, because it was an opportunity to go above Cove.”
Accies are next in action when they host promotion-chasing Ayr United on March 18, and Martin admits the break might be coming at a good time.
“The boys aren’t struggling,” he said, “but they are leggy.
“I think you can see that in the last two performances, and it doesn’t help with the injuries we’ve picked up.
“We’ll rest up and be back in on Monday morning for training.”
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