Michael Stewart has spoken about Hamilton’s 1-0 defeat at home to Celtic.
A fourth minute James Forrest goal was enough to settle the match, as Accies nullified what the Hoops threw at them.
A spirited display. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
It was a horrible game for the neutral to watch, but Brian Rice will be happy with how his side applied themselves against Neil Lennon’s men.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, Stewart has weighed in on the 1-0 outcome.
He said: “In the first half, Celtic were dominant. They got into their groove early but didn’t test Owain Fon Williams enough.
The Accies stopper wasn’t tested. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
“At half-time, Brian Rice has told Hamilton to get tighter and it knocked Celtic off their rhythm. But, equally, there were not many moments where Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Foster was tested.”
Hamilton can take confidence from Celtic showing
Whilst they didn’t get the result they wanted, Accies can be very pleased with how they performed against Celtic.
Yes, they only had 27% of possession and Celtic had 12 shots (BBC), but for the most part, they limited their attacking outlets.
Nullified the attacking danger. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
In the last nine matches prior to this game, Hamilton had lost nine in a row against Celtic, conceding 22 and scoring just three times. Many expected them to be swept aside by this Celtic side, but it wasn’t to be.
Hamilton won’t be judged on fixtures like this, but Rice will be very pleased with their performance. It’ll give them confidence going into more important matches that may define their season, like next week’s trip to St Mirren.
It may have been bad to watch as a neutral, but Hamilton certainly carried out an effective game plan against Celtic.