Hamilton Academical occupy second spot in the SPFL Premiership table, though Alex Neil wasn't letting on yesterday.

The player-manager of the New Douglas Park side insisted instead that it was "business as usual" around his club as Hamilton prepared for the second round of the League Cup and a meeting with Alloa Athletic.

The Lanarkshire side have won three league matches in succession to settle in behind Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Hamilton sit high in the table, but higher still is the confidence on the squad.

However, it took until April for Neil's side to record their third league win during their last season in the Scottish top flight, a campaign which ended in relegation, and Neil is wary of allowing his players to get ahead of themselves this time.

"It is just business as usual," said the midfielder. "We are doing well at the moment but there will be a hard spell at some stage. We have to make sure that while we are doing well just now we enjoy it, keep working hard and hopefully delay that harder stage for as long as possible.

"I am not surprised about our start but I think everyone else is. The players suit this level and we have shown that. The games that we have won we have deserved to win. It's not as if they were smash and grab. We have to keep the momentum going and keep working hard."

Alloa hope to make their cup tie this evening hard work in particular, not least since they travel to New Douglas Park after a comprehensive win against Cowdenbeath. "After losing our first two games and not scoring getting a win away from home, scoring three times and also keeping a clean sheet was a terrific afternoon's work," said Barry Smith, the Alloa manager.

"We will take confidence from it however we recognise that this is a really difficult tie especially as Hamilton Accies ended their game with Partick on Saturday so strongly. We will give it a go and see where we end up."