Managers post Hamilton

04/12/21: link to audio of both managers post match interviews

John Hughes felt that Hamilton were ‘miles on top in the first half’.

“We couldn’t get to grips but I did feel that we started okay, for the first ten to fifteen minutes it was even Stevens. Hamilton took control of it, we were under the cosh and I was looking at my team asking ‘what do we need to do to be better?’

“Sometimes you have to look at the opposition and say that it is them that is stopping us. I am looking at what my boys have done previously and asking questions like why are not implementing that every week?

“We got into them in the second half although I felt Hamilton were the better team but even in the first half we had the better chances. For all their football I don’t think our goalkeeper had a save to make. We had one or two chances and one of them hit the underside of the bar and Aaron might have done better and scored.

“To lose the game the way we did, and Hamilton probably deserved it, is disappointing. I went to see the referee, he said that it was handball but we all make mistakes.

“The ball hit Graham on his chest and the referee said it was hand-ball — so I don’t know what he is looking at. I asked that question, but listen I get the chance to look at it. My video guys are there but it’s not even close. People will see it on the footage.

“For the referee to give a penalty for that and say it hit his hand? He must have been guessing. He’s guessing, he’s miles off it. To get beat like that is very disappointing.”

You could see the frustration in Graham Dorrans at getting sent off?

“You are expecting better than that. That’s why they are there. You have to get that right. Saying that I’m honest enough to tell you that Hamilton were the better team. We have a lot of work in front of us but we deserve a little bit better than that. Even I’m frustrated and disappointed.

“You know we have had a lot of bad luck, you earn your own luck and we are expecting the referee to be better than that.

“I spoke to him and he said, ‘you’ve had the opportunity to look at it’. I said, ‘okay, but what were YOU looking at, thinking it was a hand-ball? You’re making it up.’

You are level on points now with Queen of the South who you meet at home next week. It will be a big match?

“They are all going to be like that, I’ve had that all my career - big games and six pointers. We need to dust ourselves down, really analyse the game and try and help them along to see if we can make it better.

“We lack a real focal threat when we only play one upfront. We are better with two upfront but when we play two upfront it takes us away from midfield. We just need to find the right balance.

“Even after all that the boys stood up to it, we were under the cosh and in the last ten to fifteen minutes, even with just ten men, we gave it a good go. “

Lewis McCann was tireless in attack?

“He could do with a hand up there. As I’ve said if we could play twelve men we would be brilliant. We have to keep working at it. In terms of their effort and commitment it was not in doubt, when down to ten men we were still going trying to score a goal for the equaliser.

“I thought the referee had a good game, he let the game go, it was just that one where he has made a mistake.”

Will you appeal the red card?

“I honestly don’t know. I’m quite sure the club will have a look at it and we’ll have to go through the proper processes. I don’t know the procedure.

“In saying that, I am honest enough to say that Hamilton were the better team and deserved it, we have a lot of work ahead of us. I am left scratching my head, I see it and then I don’t see it. There is that consistency of performance that we are looking for.”

Why were you were missing Dom Thomas today?

“Dom has a knee problem and might be missing for the foreseeable future. He will go in to see a specialist on Monday and it might be a wee tidy-up [operation] on his knee. Dom was missed today — but that’s football, we just need to get on with it.”

Dom is a big void to fill?

“It’s our job as manager and coaches to find the solutions and come up with the answers, so that our players feel comfortable, can play their football and win games. It might be a change of position, shape, whatever. But whatever we do, we’ll work at it.”

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