It's hard to believe but the form guide for the last ten league fixtures shows that Motherwell have performed better than Hamilton. Maybe that should be re-phrased to demonstrate that Hamilton have an even worse record than Motherwell! We've taken 5 points from the last 10 while Accies have managed only 3 draws.
While our new manager has enjoyed three wins since he took charge in mid-December his rival in the away dugout will be hoping to break his duck. Martin Canning has been in control of Hamilton for two months and he has yet to experience that winning feeling. Accies came close on Saturday when they took a two goal lead against Ross County but (much to our disappointment) the game finished 2-2. With any luck he'll have to wait another week for that first win.
Three points for Motherwell would lift us off the bottom and give our rivals some concern. A loss would raise stress levels and undo the shaky confidence that has grown since the restructured team began to knit together.
Ramsden will complete his suspension by sitting this one out. With no new injuries reported we could see an unchanged team take to the field for a second successive week. Lack of consistency in selection has been a major factor in this season’s poor form and it’s encouraging that some stability has returned.
Hamilton have made the best of the previous meetings to date. League thumpings of 4-0 and 5-0 (and with a League Cup win after penalties) helped their rise to the top half of the table but the change in year has brought a change in fortune. They haven’t adjusted yet to the loss of Alex Neil and they’ll face a much changed claret and amber side on this occasion. It’s likely that only three of the ‘Well side who were part of the Ne’rday defeat will start on Friday and they should enjoy their weekend following a 2-0 win.
Remember Hamilton's last visit?