JAMES McCarthy's first goals in four months handed Hamilton a crucial 2-1 win at home to Kilmarnock, but the midfielder insists there is "still a long way to go" in this season's relegation battle.
The 18-year-old's strikes early in each half moved the New Douglas Park team up two places to eighth in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, six points clear of basement side Falkirk.
McCarthy, who had not scored since December, was quick to praise
the contribution of some of his unsung team-mates.
He said: "It has been a long time so I was delighted to get back on the scoresheet, but the most important thing was to get three points, especially as other results didn't go our way.
"I'm delighted to score as that's something I need to add to my game. During this season, I've filled out from doing weights and my game has definitely got better as I'm able to take the ball in and make passes, and I'm happy where I'm playing just now.
"This was a great team performance where everybody fought for each other; it's like a big family here and the most important thing is to stay in this league.
"A lot of boys who are massive players for the club don't get enough credit for the jobs they do. Mark McLaughlin held us at the back, Martin Canning was magnificent there, Alex Neil is the club captain and leads by example, and everyone worked their socks off and battled for a great result."
Kilmarnock swapped places with Hamilton following the defeat, in which their consolation came from a Jamie Hamill penalty in injury time, and now find themselves just three points in front of Falkirk, who are Saturday's visitors to Rugby Park.
Garry Hay, who took over the captain's armband against Hamilton when David Lilley was withdrawn due to an early head injury, now says that the Ayrshire team face four "cup finals" as they battle to preserve their lengthy top-flight status, and added that they will be looking to make the most of home advantage.
The defender said: "Falkirk will probably be the biggest game of our season so far. At the moment, every game is massive for us because it's about us staying in the Premier League.
"We knew it was going to be hard and we were under no illusions that things would be settled even if we'd beaten Hamilton. But we certainly don't want to do go down and we now have to make the most of having three home games in a week."
The full article contains 444 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
