On paper this looks like it could be a straightforward tie. We are doing reasonably well in the SPL with ambitions of making the top six, while Hamilton are closer to the drop from the first division rather than promotion back to the top flight. However, we all thought beating Ayr should have been reasonably straightforward and look how that one turned out, so this game looks perfect for an upset. Hamilton will be fired up and out to prove a point while looking to put their league troubles behind them. We must treat them as if they are an SPL side and cannot for one moment come along thinking this will be an easy progression.
There could be a bit of bad blood between the sides due to what happened at the end of last season. Saints managed to come out on top in the battle to beat the drop but not before Accies boss Billy Reid had had a few digs at our style of play. This was rather funny considering Hamilton are hardly Barcelona, despite what he seems to think, but hopefully he'll find the way we currently go about things a bit more to our liking.
The defeat to Ayr in the League Cup was our first cup defeat at our new home. Rather worryingly, Danny Lennon is still to register his first home cup win as Saints boss and that is something he will hopefully put right tomorrow. However, we cannot afford another repeat of last year's disaster against Peterhead. We must go at Hamilton from the off, get in their faces and just attack them. That should, hopefully, see them through.
We go into this one on the back of a defeat but, by all accounts, we were unlucky not to leave Rugby Park with something - Kilmarnock boss Kenny Shiels even admitting we probably deserved a point. The nature of the defeat is probably a positive, but there is far more encouraging news for us ahead of tomorrow's game. Jim Goodwin is back. The skipper is now free from suspension and I'll be astonished if he's not back in his team. In fairness, we've done fairly well in his absence - beating Rangers and drawing with Dundee United - and David Barron has been an able deputy, but it's now time for Goodwin to return.
We have gone with the same players in each of the three games he has missed and I wouldn't expect too many changes aside from him coming back into the team. Gary Teale apparently did well as a sub last week but there isn't really anyone that's an obvious candidate to make way for him or the fit again duo of Steven Thomson and Hugh Murray. The likes of Paul McGowan, Kenny McLean and Graham Carey have been excellent recently and if Aaron Mooy is dropped Nigel Hasselbaink would be an adequate replacement. Hasselbaink and Goodwin, as well as David van Zanten, are all former Accies and will be looking forward to this one.
A few years ago Billy Reid was being touted as Scotland's next big managerial prospect. He had managed to guide Hamilton to SPL survival, had raked in some cash from selling promising youngsters to clubs down south. He was even linked with the Swansea job - and I bet he wishes he'd taken that now. Last season was a complete disaster and an instant return to the SPL is unlikely, the Accies far closer to the relegation places than the top spot. A few people have been calling for Reid's head, but his job is probably safe until at least the end of the season.
While Reid seemed rather hypocritical when mocking our style of play last season, he does at least possess one player who is quite handy in midfield. Alex Neil could easily get a game for half the SPL and runs the show in the middle of the park. The problem is he was injured for most of last season and has played just once this year, which may go some way to explaining why Hamilton have been struggling.. His passing is a joy to watch and having him in the team when he's fit should help younger guys Ali Crawford, who has become a regular in the first team this season.
If Neil causes problems with his passing, Dougie Imrie causes trouble with his trickery. He can be a bit of a ned at times but when he screws the nut he is a terrific player and is another one who surprisingly stayed with Hamilton for the first division. His pace and dribbling have caused chaos in our defence in the past and he's someone we really need to keep our eye on tomorrow - especially after his double against Queen of the South last week.. Loan players Gordon Smith and Greig Spence will also need to be watched as the youngsters bid to make a name for themselves.
Reid does have a few more youngsters at his disposal who could make the break, although whether the likes of Grant Gillespie and the brilliantly named Ziggy Gordon will be the next big thing remains to be seen. He also has plenty of more experienced players who will still be familiar to Saints supporters, like goalie Tomas Cerny - who could return from injury - and defender Mark McLaughlin. Simon Mensing was a surprise source of goals in the SPL, although has yet to replicate that form this season, while former Morton winger Jim McAlister will no doubt be looking to make his former fans happy.
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