THIS was supposed to be a stern test for Hamilton Academical, the early pretenders to the SPFL Championship throne.
The hosts were coming off a surprise defeat by Alloa Athletic, Livingston buoyant after a 5-1 tour de force against Cowdenbeath. In the end, though, it was something of a stroll in the blustery sunshine as the hosts produced a display as solid and comfortable as you're likely to see.
"This was our best performance of the season," said Grant McMillan, the Hamilton midfielder. "From start to finish we knew our jobs, what we had to do and everyone to a man did that today. We knew if we did, the performance would come."
James Keatings took the plaudits with his two goals. The first came from a penalty: the visitors struggled to clear a corner and as the ball was blasted back by Darian MacKinnon, it struck the raised arms of Andy Barrowman. Keatings fired low past the goalkeeper's left. Another Ali Crawford corner brought more punishment; the ball was allowed to bounce and Keatings stabbed home.
"Looking at the other teams and how we've performed against them, I don't think there's any question that we're one of the best teams in the league," said Alex Neil, the Hamilton player/manager. "But I'm not silly enough to say we're going to do this, we're going to do that. We probably created more chances today [than most weekends] but that's probably due to the fact that Livingston came here to try to beat us."
The West Lothian side did try, manfully, but failed. Keatings' name scribbled twice on the scoresheet was officially what separated the teams, but the visitors were outclassed by the best team in the division; the hosts harried and harassed, thwarting any creativity before it could burst into life.
Even when Stefan Scougall looked to have scurried past the defence on the hour mark he was crowded out before he could shoot. Later, already two goals down, Mark Burchill was sent scampering down to the bye-line and managed to cut it back to Keeghan Jacobs. The midfielder, though, could only shoot over with just the goalkeeper to beat.
"We play football in the right way," said McMillan. "But also when we've got the ball we hunt it back. We're solid as a team. We worked our socks off when we didn't have the ball.Even coming off a defeat, the confidence the boys showed to get the ball down and play and create chances. Everything's going well."
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