Derek McInnes happy with Aberdeen display despite defeat at struggling Hamilton
Wednesday 1 March 2017 12:48, UK
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes praised his players despite their 1-0 defeat to struggling Hamilton at New Douglas Park.
The Dons missed an opportunity to stretch their gap in second place to 12 points over the chasing pack in the Scottish Premiership.
Despite dominating the match, Aberdeen were unable to cancel out a ninth-minute volley from Michael Devlin, which was enough to lift Accies off the foot of the table above Inverness CT, Motherwell and Ross County ahead of Wednesday's fixtures.
McInnes claimed he could not remember having as much of a game without scoring after his side forced 21 corners and failed to convert from more than a dozen chances of note.
"We expected a tough match but it was actually not as tough as we thought, even though we lost the game," McInnes said. "I thought we had total dominance of the game.
"The responsibility from each and every one of the players was excellent.
"I was enjoying watching us, I was enjoying the fact that we weren't panicking, I was enjoying the fact that we weren't letting the situation get the better of us.
"We still tried to get on the ball and do the right thing, we got plenty of crosses in and bodies in the box. There was a real willingness from the players to make it happen for us. But sometimes it doesn't happen.
"You look at it and think you maybe need a bit more ruthlessness to put the ball in the net. There's no real joy when you lose a game but you can still be proud of your team and admire their qualities.
"But we are here to win and we're disappointed we have not won."
Following a disciplined display at Celtic Park on Saturday, where Hamilton lost 2-0, boss Martin Canning was delighted his side were rewarded for another dogged performance.
Accies held on for a second home win over Aberdeen this season, despite playing the final 10 minutes with a man fewer after Darian MacKinnon was booked twice in quick succession.
Canning said: "I thought defensively we were magnificent. Michael Devlin, in particular, was outstanding.
"We defended our box so, so well, we've got boys throwing their bodies on the line all over the place to block shots, stop crosses, and as much as they put us under a lot of pressure, there isn't a lot of clear-cut opportunities.
"That takes commitment and desire to throw your body on the line continually and make sure you make it as difficult for teams to score against you as you can.
"I would say that's probably the game this season that we have been on the back foot the most. I think it's 24 points we have lost from a winning position, so we have put ourselves in that position so many times and not been able to do what we have done tonight and see the game out."
