Scottish Premiership: Ross County, Kilmarnock or Hamilton face relegation climax

Ross County, Hamilton and Kilmarnock are all battling to avoid relegation

Three teams separated by three points, two games left, at least one club going down.

Ross County, Kilmarnock and Hamilton Academical face an anxious five days as the Scottish Premiership's relegation battle reaches its dramatic climax.

Accies were on the brink before victory away to St Mirren a week-and-a-half ago brought them to within two points of Kilmarnock, who were beaten in Motherwell. At the same time, County were winning away to Dundee United to move out of the relegation play-off place, but their top-flight future is far from secure.

It all means that, between Wednesday and Sunday, it will be decided who is staying up, who is going down and who faces a play-off.

County ready to 'go down to wire'

County's 3-2 win over Kilmarnock in early March lifted them to 10th and sent Tommy Wright's side bottom.

But John Hughes' men from Dingwall failed to build on that, going five without victory before pulling a performance and result out of the bag at Tannadice.

County have had a habit of producing big results when it matters this season, which may bode well in the final week of the campaign.

They have beaten Celtic home and away, won away to Hibernian and hammered Aberdeen, as well as winning two of three against Hamilton and claiming a win and two draws against Kilmarnock.

"I've said since I came in, it'll go right down to the wire," said Hughes, who took charge in December following Stuart Kettlewell's dismissal.

"My only frustration is the consistency. I think only once - way before my time - we've won back-to-back games, so wouldn't it be nice to do it next week against Hamilton, up against my old sidekick Chipper, Brian Rice?"

Sportsound pundit Willie Miller believes the momentum is with County and Hamilton.

"Hamilton are used to it [fighting relegation] and County have something to build on after beating United. So, at the moment, you have to be very nervous for Kilmarnock," the former Aberdeen manager said.

Kilmarnock 'relying on other results'

Wright arrived as manager in early February and brought in Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty, whose five goals in four league games - including a hat-trick against United - had Kilmarnock potentially a win away from sealing their Premiership status.

However, after 28 consecutive top-flight seasons, they are back in the quicksand. A point against St Mirren will ensure they can't finish bottom should County beat Hamilton, given their vastly superior goal difference. But, if they lose, Kilmarnock face a final-day winner-takes-all trip to Lanarkshire to face Accies.

Worst of all, Wright's side could win both their remaining games and still have to run the gauntlet of a play-off against the winner of the play-off semi-final between Championship sides Dundee and Raith Rovers.

"We've put ourselves in a position where we've got to rely on other results," the manager said. "We have to put ourselves in a position where we go to Hamilton on the final day with a chance of staying in the league."

Glasgow City midfielder Leanne Crichton feels there is an element of Kilmarnock feeling sorry for themselves.

"I think there's a bit of 'poor us' about Kilmarnock this season," she said. "They're not used to being in this position and they expect to get the odd favour that's going to get them out of this.

"It's going to be so hard to call, but lets just get them all on 33 points and have a final-day shootout."

Keeping Hamilton up 'like climbing Everest in flipflops'

After no wins in nine, Hamilton's 2-1 victory over St Mirren has breathed life into their survival hopes. If they can make it back-to-back league wins for the first time in 13 months by winning in Dingwall, they will go into Sunday's matches off the bottom.

"It would be like climbing Everest with your flipflops on," said head coach Rice, who will serve the second of a two-game touchline ban against County, when asked what keeping Hamilton up would mean.

"It would be the biggest achievement I've ever achieved with what we've been through this season. It's going to go down to the last game."

Former Hamilton midfielder Derek Ferguson believes his old side come alive at this time of the season.

"The players enjoy this time of the season because they're in the spotlight, they're fighting for their lives, they seem to thrive on it," he said. "It might spook Kilmarnock, but I genuinely think Hamilton enjoy it."