Hamilton will have to face Rangers without Darian MacKinnon after he became the third midfielder to be ruled out of Friday night’s Scottish Premiership clash.
Mackinnon was sent off in the final moments of Accies’ match with St Johnstone at the weekend after he was deemed to have pulled down Paul Paton as he raced through on goal, denying the former Dundee United man a goalscoring opportunity.
Hamilton left McDiarmid Park empty-handed after Murray Davidson’s late header won the match for Tommy Wright’s side.
Accies announced on their official Twitter account on Monday that the Scottish FA had confirmed that central midfielder MacKinnon would serve an immediate one-match ban, ruling him out of the home game against Pedro Caixinha’s side.
SFA confirm 1 league match immediate ban for Darian MacKinnon, so he misses Friday v Rangers
— Hamilton Accies FC (@acciesfc) September 25, 2017
The Scotsman report that Accies manager Martin Canning will also be unable to call upon injured senior midfield pair Grant Gillespie and David Templeton as well as first choice goalkeeper Gary Woods, who was forced off with an injury early in the second half in Perth.
OPINION
Rangers certainly cannot hide behind the injuries to key defensive duo Lee Wallace and Bruno Alves when they face Hamilton on Friday. MacKinnon’s suspension leaves Accies boss Martin Canning without three midfielders, with Gillespie and Templeton both out injured. MacKinnon is a big miss. He has made more than 180 appearances for the New Douglas Park side since joining from Clydebank in 2012 and provides crucial experience and knowhow to the Accies. The 31-year-old also has a decent record for popping up and scoring important goals.