A SENSE of grievance has driven Kilmarnock to the brink of Premiership safety. After marshalling the Rugby Park side to a potentially decisive three points at Hamilton's Super Seal Stadium on Saturday, Gary Dicker said that the Ayrshire side are determined to finish best of the bottom half of the Ladbrokes Premiership table to defy the critics who wrote them off as relegation fodder after an underwhelming BetFred Cup campaign. The worst they can do now is a play-off place, but they have a six-point cushion on 11th and could save themselves at home against Dundee on Saturday.

"You look at the table and we are top of the pile [in the bottom six] and that is where we want to stay," said the 30-year-old Dubliner, after goals from Conor Sammon and Jordan Jones meant they have now lost just once in their last seven games. "People probably thought we weren't going to get anything here because they [Hamilton] have done well at home but we have proved a lot of people wrong since the start of the season.

"We are not just looking at the Dundee game and then kicking into holiday mode after that," he added. "We want to finish seventh, because that will help the club and as a team we also want to do it because no-one gave us a chance this year. After the league cup everyone was battering us really, saying we had no chance and saying about all the players we had brought in, so the boys have been a credit really."

While other sides, not least Saturday's hosts Hamilton, traditionally receive the plaudits, Dicker also feels the Rugby Park side don't get enough credit for their youth development work. He had another converted midfielder, 19-year-old Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic, alongside him at the back, two other homegrown teenagers - Greg Taylor and Iain Wilson - also started, with other academy products like Greg Kiltie and Adam Frizzell came off the bench.

"It is a very young team and I don't think they get the credit they deserve," he said. "Other teams throw in a few kids and everyone is raving about them throwing in a few 19-year-olds, but we have had that all year. The older boys are still hungry too, you can see that with Boydy [Kris Boyd] and Steven Smith."

Much of the kudos for the club's stubborn defensive run must also go to Freddie Woodman, the 20-year-old goalkeeper on-loan from Newcastle whose two fine first half saves from Dougie Imrie proved the inspiration for this win. "Last year losing goals was one of the downfalls of this team," said Dicker. "But now everyone is working hard and trying to help each other out, not just the back four. We are lucky because we have two outstanding goalkeepers [Woodman and Jamie MacDonald] which you usually don't get at this level. We have probably got two of the best goalkeepers in the league in my eyes."

The margins were fine, with both goals coming from set plays, but this wasn't the result that Accies had hoped for and central defender Michael Devlin bemoaned their inability to deal with deliveries into the box. “If it hadn’t been for our mistakes it would probably have finished 0-0 because I can’t remember too many other chances.”