Hamilton Academical: Is time running out to save their Scottish Premiership status?

Hamilton Academical are currently three points adrift at the foot of the Scottish Premiership with three games remaining

Hamilton Academical have proved people wrong season after season in their quests for survival, but time is running out for Brian Rice's men to turn it around this time.

Three points adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership with three games to go, Saturday could make or break their fight for survival.

After no wins in nine, failure to pick up points on Saturday at St Mirren could leave them six points behind with six to play for.

It wouldn't be over, but they would be on the brink - needing back-to-back wins, something they haven't achieved in the Premiership in 13 months.

Is this the year Hamilton's stay in the top flight ends? Or can they pull off another Houdini act?

How did it reach this point?

When Hamilton hammered Motherwell 4-1 on 13 February, things were looking good for Rice's side.

Fresh from a 1-1 draw with Rangers, Bruce Anderson, Ross Callachan, Marios Ogkmpoe and David Moyo all hit the target as Accies ran riot at Fir Park.

But, since then, it is played nine, won none, although four draws have kept them within touching distance of safety.

They could still finish as high as 10th but would need to win at least two of their three remaining games. Three points might be enough to finish above Ross County and leave them in the play-off, providing the Dingwall side lose every game.

After last week's 1-0 loss at home to Motherwell, head coach Rice said his side "know what they need to do".

"Some of the lads have been through it before and know what it takes, but some of them haven't," he said ahead of Saturday's trip to face St Mirren. "The ones who have need to pass on that wee bit of knowledge, but if you look through other squads, they have that too - probably more than us.

"I've told them - just don't look too far ahead, just look forward to it. I have no fear about the temperament or anything like that."

But don't they always stay up?

When last season was called after 30 games, Hamilton were four points clear of bottom side Hearts and benefitted from the play-offs being scrapped. They were on 27 points, the same as now, having played five games more.

The prior two seasons, they finished 10th, both times with 33 points. In 2016-17, they had 35 points but had to go through a play-off - beating Dundee United over two legs - and in 2015-16 they had a relatively handsome total of 43 points.

At the moment, they are set for their lowest haul over 38 games since returning to the Premiership.

What do they need to do?

They can now only catch Kilmarnock and County. The former are five points clear with a far superior goal difference, so Hamilton need to be within two points of Tommy Wright's men before hosting them on the final day.

Before that, Rice's side head for games in Paisley and against County in Dingwall, a task made no easier by the head coach's two-match touchline ban. Fail to pick up any points and their fight for survival will end in failure.

"I would never write them off. Never," Sportscene pundit James McFadden says. "They've been written off so many times and proving people wrong for years. I'd never write them off until the final whistle goes and it's confirmed."