Connor Smith hopes it is third time lucky when he clashes with former club Queen’s Park today, as Hamilton Accies aim to end a three-game losing streak.
The Accies midfielder, who is on loan from St Johnstone and spent the 2021/22 season at the Spiders, hasn’t fared well against the Hampden outfit of late, losing both of his previous encounters.
Smith’s side go into the game in a poor run of form, while Callum Davidson’s Spiders have won three on the bounce in all competitions.
But the 22-year-old says it is time to change the record when they come calling to New Douglas Park.
He said: “I’ve not had the upper hand once against them so I’m hoping I can change that this time.
“I’ve played Queen’s Park twice since I left them. When I was on loan at Hamilton two years ago, they beat us 4-1 and they beat us 1-0 at Hampden last month. We want to put that right.
“It was a really close game last time and we had a few chances as well. Anybody could have won and a draw probably would have been the fairest result.
“I enjoyed my time at Queen’s Park. They are similar to us in that they like to play football and I think it will be another good game this week.
“I feel like we just need a couple of wins on the bounce to get going again. When you’ve lost three on the bounce, it is tough to get it going again but the squad is good enough to do it.
“I’ve played most games this season and I am happy to be playing regular football, but results haven’t been going our way recently.”
Accies are in a quartet of sides sitting joint-second bottom on 15 points, with Dunfermline, Morton and Raith also 10 clear of bottom side Airdrie.
But Smith says their focus is firmly on the top end of the Championship.
He added: “We need to get away from the teams around us. A few good results for us can get us right back up the table.
“We are still early into the season. There is a big enough gap from us and [leaders] Falkirk at the top of the table, but our focus is still on getting into those promotion play-off places.”