Hamilton head coach Stuart Taylor won’t encourage his players to perform dark arts - but he will ask them to be cuter on the pitch.
Taylor has been unhappy with numerous penalty calls against his team this season and fell foul of another on Saturday, as Ellis Brown went down in a tumble with Dunfermline’s Josh Edwards during a 2-2 Championship draw.
Steven Lawless converted the spot-kick, as David Moyo’s first Hamilton double was cancelled out by the shot from 12 yards and Coll Donaldson’s early opener.
Accies travel to Partick Thistle this weekend and Taylor wants his men to be more streetwise when it comes to penalty box actions.
He explained: “Ellis was involved in the penalty scenario but it’s not a penalty. He’s on the wrong side of the defender, so it’s easier to give it. It looks as if he pulls him down.
“The lad brings Ellis on top of him. It’s difficult for the officials to see. Now he’s had that done to him, not that we are asking him to be dishonest, but he can do that to other people.
“You only get experience by having things physically done to you or seeing movements of players. It’s about seeing good things players are doing and taking it on, or not liking something a player did and saying ‘I am going to do that back.’
“We have to be cuter about our work, but we need to stick within the rules of the game. When Ellis gets that done to him, all we need to make sure is that doesn’t happen again.
“It’s part of development and experience, but it was sore as they got the penalty and scored.”
Accies are closing in on a fully fit squad. Outside a longer-term knee injury for Joe Hilton, Miko Virtanen, Scott Martin and Marley Redfern are all closing in on returns from injury.
Taylor has at times this season dealt with up to nine players being out injured, so having mostly short-term fixes to ponder is a new relief.
The Hamilton boss explained: “There’s no additional injuries from Saturday’s game. Everybody has come through that one unscathed. Miko’s had another part of his injections on his Achilles so he’ll be out for 48 hours then we will start back on his rehab.
“Marley’s recovering from his hamstring which we will reassess today (Wednesday). Scott Martin is back in training following his hamstring injury.
“From where we were when I first came in, we don’t have six, seven, eight and nine players out. We look healthier in that respect. We only have the one real concern and the rest are all bubbling along fine.”
Accies have won just one of their last nine league matches and sit eighth, but they have only lost twice in that run too, Taylor adding: “We won’t get caught up with any anxiety.
“We will look to go and keep progressing to try and finish as high up this league as we possibly can.”
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