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REID HOPEFUL AFTER WIN
Reid - keeping his feet on the ground.
Hamilton manager Billy Reid refused to get carried away with their debut Clydesdale Bank Premier League win but it confirmed his belief that Accies can stay up if they keep their main players fit.
The Irn-Bru First Division champions ended their 19-year exile from the top flight in style on Monday night with a 3-1 triumph over Dundee United at New Douglas Park.
They quickly bounced back from Mark McLaughlin's own goal to seal a deserved three points thanks to goals from Tony Stevenson, James McArthur and David Graham.
The Lanarkshire side outplayed their fancied opponents for the majority of the game, with youngsters McArthur and James McCarthy showing invention in midfield.
And they were well organised and got players behind the ball when United had possession.
Reid said: "The most important thing is that as a team there is a spirit about us, which I think you can see when we score a goal.
"To come from a goal behind, we could have wilted. We carried on where we left off last season, and it's all about the team for us.
"There is a long, long way to go, we will keep our feet on the ground.
"We are still favourites for the drop, I think we are 4-5 favourites, that's motivation for our players.
"Like everybody else, if we keep our main players fit then we have a chance of staying in this league.
"If we hit injuries to key players then we'll have problems.
"But I've said before, I've got a belief in what I'm doing at this football club, and I'll continue to say that. I think we play the game in the right manner and nothing will change.
"We have a freshness in that we have a lot of young players come through our system and we're not afraid to play them. We will have other young players come through as well."
Accies top the fledgling SPL table but Reid knows that will be forgotten if they do not perform against the team they knocked off the summit.
"We are just looking forward to Saturday's game against Inverness Caley, they have started great as well," he added.
"This will mean nothing if we don't perform as well as we can on Saturday."
Craig Levein branded his team's performance "absolutely dreadful" and admitted it was the worst of his reign. But he was also impressed by their opponents.
"I really do have to give credit to Hamilton because I thought that, once they settled into the game, they did everything I would expect my team to do," he said.
"They closed space down, passed the ball in tight areas, picked the right times to go long and they caused us all sorts of problems.
"It won't be any consolation to me but this will be a difficult place for people to come."
