Brian Rice has hailed his Hamilton battlers after securing their first home win of the season as he praised Nathan Thomas following his move from Sheffield United.
Accies beat Kilmarnock 1-0 on Saturday, a Ross Callachan penalty sealing victory over 10-man Killie. Thomas was a star from the bench as the former Sheffield United man inspired his team going forward.
Signed to boost Accies’ survival efforts after a spell at the Blades, Rice believes Thomas has shown how big an asset he can be: “We had to work so hard for it but I think our second half performance just about merited the win.
“There were a lot of positives but the biggest plus was we carried on the form from Aberdeen. Defensively we were strong and going forward we were a threat.
“They can be proud of what they have did in the past two weeks. Nathan Thomas came on and gave us that extra dimension going forward. We were brave, we took off a defender and brought another attacker on.
“He sparked life into us. I thought he played really well and he will be a good signing if we can get him fit.”
This is the first time Hamilton have won at home in the league this season, keeping a clean sheet another bonus for Rice. He’s told his players to remember the feeling of victory.
“It is massive to get a home win and we have another home game against Hibs next Saturday,” said Rice. “We now know what that feeling is like in the dressing room.
“We want to build on that and make it hard for people to come here. It is also good to be off the bottom.
“It is a big psychological boost. Managers and players always say they don’t look at the table but they do, every day.”