Hamilton boss John Rankin tore a strip off his mis-firing side as they couldn't find a way to goal against Queen's Park but says officials got it wrong when awarding the Spiders' first goal.
Owen Coyle's side ran out 2-0 winners at New Douglas Park this afternoon, but scored a controversial opener in 42 minutes when Grant Savoury's free kick hit the bar, struck goalkeeper Ryan Fulton and was apparently forced in by Simon Murray.
The goal appears to have been given on the recommendation of stand-side linesman Kevin McElhinney, who convinced referee Graham Grainger that it crossed the line.
There was no doubt about the second goal, as Jake Davidson set up Savoury to fire an unstoppable shot into the top left corner, but Rankin wasn't pleased.
He said: "When we look at the video side of it, and look at the goal, I don't know if the linesman can 100 per cent say it's a goal from his position, at that particular time.
"That changes the game, and unfortunately for ourselves we're on the receiving end of that today.
"It's a tough one to take, because can he 100 per cent say it's a goal? I'm not sure that he can.
"But we have to react better to that, and come out in the second half, create chances and take them.
"To be fair, we created chances, we just never took them, so it's extremely disappointing."
Accies had numerous chances to take the lead before Queens Park struck, including Dario Zanatta striking the post, and looked the more likely side to score early in the second half before Savoury's clincher.
But Rankin again said his side need to do better in front of goal.
He said: "Goals change games. That’s the biggest lesson today.
“We had numerous chances in the first half to go in front, and we don’t take them because we’re not ruthless enough or not clinical enough.
“We seemed to think another one will come, but that’s not how football at this level works, and we were punished before half-time.
“In the second half we came out again and had really good opportunities to go level, and I think if we do, then there’s another energy that comes to the players.
“But again we weren’t clinical enough, ruthless enough or even hungry enough to score, and that becomes an issue.
"To be fair to them, and how honest they are, they've held their hands up and said they should have scored.
"If we're creating these chances that is a positive. I would be a lot more annoyed if we weren't creating these chances.
"It's a case of we need to take them and we need to be ruthless, because goals change games.
"The second goal changes the full energy in the stadium and from within them. Their heads dropped, rather than having the eye of tiger and ready to go again, and that's disappointing."
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