Hamilton and St Mirren put the cup in the shade

A big big match at New Douglas Park

It may be Scottish Cup quarter final weekend but there is an argument to say the most important match is taking place at New Douglas Park.

11th placed Hamilton Academicals, on 23 points, welcome 10th placed St Mirren, who currently have 24 points. The points won and lost against fellow strugglers can define the survival campaign for any club so both teams understand exactly what is at stake on Saturday.

Billy Reid will know his side could sink to the bottom of the SPL if they lose and Falkirk win. With 9 games left, this would not quite be a fatal blow but the psychology of being bottom of the pile affects teams differently.

Talking of psychology, what must Buddies boss Gus McPherson be thinking?

In just over a week, St Mirren will be at Hampden for the League Cup final but their league form is a big concern.

The Paisley side have gone 10 league games without a win but to blame this on the cup final is wrong. Firstly, some of these games were before the semi-final victory over Hearts and secondly, St Mirren don’t need any assistance in not winning games!

McPherson could use the final as a spur to get a performance from his players against Hamilton. A strong showing in Lanarkshire could guarantee a Hampden start whereas a Hamilton howler could lead to an omission from the National Stadium line-up.

Mickael Antoine-Curier is likely to start for the home side whilst St Mirren have doubts over Chris Innes.

Often, when games are so important, the pressure creates a poor match. Either set of fans wont care about the game as long as they pick up three points at the end of it.

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