The Championship’s final-day drama started 24 hours early when an SFA tribunal rejected Hamilton’s appeal against their 15-point penalty on Thursday night – and finally rubber-stamped their relegation.
Before Friday night’s last round of matches, Accies now find themselves marooned at the bottom of the 10-team league, with Airdrie also confirmed in the ninth-place relegation play-off spot.
Yet there is no little intrigue at the top end of the table, with Falkirk and Livingston fighting it out for the title, while only two points separate Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers for the final promotion play-off spot.
For Hamilton, however, there was little respite from the turmoil that has hit the club of late – and they face a Falkirk side chasing the victory that will see them return to the Premiership for the first time in 15 years.
Accies were last week hit with the penalty deduction and a £9,000 fine after being found to have breached a series of rules. These included late payment of players, not acting in ‘good faith’ when dealing with the SPFL about the removal of a transfer embargo, and incorrect information regarding stadium ownership and their SFA licence.
On Thursday, the club also revealed they will relocate to Broadwood after rejecting a proposal to continue leasing New Douglas Park from the club’s former owner.
Not only were they relegated but Accies will also be leaving their home ground
Accies chairman Jock Brown with owner Seref Zengin (right) & board member Gerry Strain
A Hamilton statement read: ‘The club is obviously very disappointed at the outcome of the appeal to the SFA Tribunal, where the decision of the SPFL Tribunal was upheld with the result that the 15-point deduction stands.
‘The board is prevented from making any further comment on the matter by SPFL regulations, but will communicate further with supporters in early course.’
Meanwhile, Falkirk boss John McGlynn is confident his players will handle the pressure of a late season stumble and finally clinch the Championship title.
The Bairns have let an 11-point lead at the top of the table slide away in recent weeks and go into the final round of regular-season fixtures level with Livingston.
McGlynn’s side still have a significantly superior goal difference and can secure their long-awaited return to the top flight if they beat Hamilton at home.
David Martindale’s Livingston are waiting to pounce on any slip by their title rivals as they play host to Partick Thistle.
McGlynn, who has been nominated for the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year award which he won by leading the Bairns to the League One crown last season, insists his players are ready to cope with the expectancy of a sold-out crowd at the Falkirk Stadium.
‘When you get in here, there will be 7,500, of which probably 7,000 will be our fans, all wanting the same thing,’ he said.
‘They will back us a million per cent, but there will be a little bit of anxiety in there as well. So we’ve got to try to get a good start in the game to calm them down, which again will be able to perhaps calm the players down.
‘Of course, you can’t guarantee anything but we can try our utmost to stay as calm as we possibly can be. There will be nerves, there’s absolutely no doubt, because it would be abnormal not to have nerves under the circumstances.
‘But I don’t see that as a bad thing, I honestly don’t. There’s always the uncertainty, you just never ever know what’s going to happen in a football match.
‘Whether it be this game, or the first game of next season, or the first game of this particular season, that’s still the same.
‘Obviously there’s a lot at stake but we’ve got a performance in us that can take us to the Premiership.’
McGlynn admits it will be challenging to shut out events at Livingston as both teams look to avoid having to settle for a place in the promotion play-offs.
‘We will try not to let it distract us from the job we’ve got to do,’ he said. ‘But it is difficult, because the Livingston game is now on TV as well, so it will be very easy for supporters to be watching that and watching our game virtually at the same time.
‘I’ve no doubt that will transfer on to the pitch with regards to if someone’s scored, you generally get it. I’ll not be looking for it but you’ll get a feeling of it.
‘We’ve just got to stay focused. We’ve got to have total concentration on our game. If we do what we plan to do, then nothing else matters – get three points, job done.’
