Queen's Park v Hamilton: Accies boss calls on fans to stay with his side for survival run-in

John Rankin has told Hamilton Accies fans to buckle up and stick with his side for the final few games of the season, as the club seek their Championship survival.

The New Douglas Park side have just four games to save their status in the division, starting away to Queen’s Park tonight at Ochilview, and Rankin wants everyone to band together to haul them out of trouble.

Accies fell to a 2-0 defeat at Morton on Tuesday night to leave them in the relegation play-off spot, two points clear of bottom side Cove Rangers and three adrift of eighth-place Arbroath, who have a superior goal difference.

At full-time on Tuesday, angry fans voiced their frustration with chants of ‘Rankin out’ aimed at the manager who delivered the club’s first cup win for 30 years just last month.

For many, the SPFL Trust Trophy win will mean little if Accies suffer a second relegation in three seasons.

Rankin knows it is going to be a difficult few weeks, but stresses everyone needs to be on the same page.

He said: “I’ve not really heard what anyone [the fans] has said. I kind of block everything out and focus on what we are trying to do.

“But we have to be together and I’ve said that from the word go this season.

“We need to find a way of getting out of this situation we are in.

“It is going to be tough. It won’t be an easy ride and we need to stay together, fight till the very end to get ourselves out of this.”

After facing Queen’s Park, Accies host Inverness on Tuesday night, Partick Thistle next Saturday and then finish up with a massive match at Arbroath on Friday, May 4 to close out the campaign.

If Accies are to take any encouragement ahead of their clash with the Spiders – who they have lost all three league games against so far this term –