Derek McInnes proud of Aberdeen display despite defeat to Hamilton

ABERDEEN manager Derek McInnes was proud of his players’ performance despite losing 1-0 at Hamilton.

McInnes admitted he could not remember having as much of a game without scoring after his side forced 21 corners and failed to convert from more than a dozen chances of note.

The Dons boss bemoaned the way his side failed to defend the long free-kick that led to Michael Devlin volleying home in the ninth minute but praised his team’s response.

“We expected a tough match but it was actually not as tough as we thought, even though we lost the game,” he said. “I thought we had total dominance of the game.

“The responsibility from each and every one of the players was excellent.

“I was enjoying watching us, I was enjoying the fact that we weren’t panicking, I was enjoying the fact that we weren’t letting the situation get the better of us.

“We still tried to get on the ball and do the right thing, we got plenty of crosses in and bodies in the box. There was a real willingness from the players to make it happen for us. But sometimes it doesn’t happen.”

McInnes, who revealed Mark Reynolds faces four weeks out with a hernia, added: “You look at it and think you maybe need a bit more ruthlessness to put the ball in the net. There’s no real joy when you lose a game but you can still be proud of your team and admire their qualities. But we are here to win and we’re disappointed we have not won.”

Accies climbed from bottom to ninth place in the Premiership after their fourth win of the season – and second against Aberdeen.

Manager Martin Canning said: “I thought defensively we were magnificent. Michael Devlin in particular was outstanding. We defended our box so, so well, we’ve got boys throwing their bodies on the line all over the place to block shots, stop crosses, and as much as they put us under a lot of pressure, there isn’t a lot of clear-cut opportunities.

“That takes commitment and desire to throw your body on the line continually and make sure you make it as difficult for teams to score against you as you can.

“I would say that’s probably the game this season that we have been on the back foot the most. I think it’s 24 points we have lost from a winning position, so we have put ourselves in that position so many times and not been able to do what we have done tonight and see the game out.”