St Mirren v Hamilton

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St Mirren v Hamilton Academical

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

10am ET

This is both teams' most important match of the year to date. If St Mirren manage to win, the bottom of the table is all but decided, and odds will be slashed on Accies going down to play the likes of Morton and Queen of the South next year. The Buddies (hence the buddy movie poster) could more or less seal SPL soccer for the 6th straight year. In addition to securing top division play for next year, St Mirren can secure their financial future. Saints have been for sale for about two years now, and a sale is very close to being finished to a consortium of local business people. Obviously, the value of the club is tied into their SPL status. A win on Saturday could see the sale process speed up significantly, while a loss might put things on hold until it is determined what league St Mirren will be playing in.

Hamilton are a First Division club trapped in the SPL. They don't have a whole stadium, their attendance is a joke, and pretty much everyone in the whole country would love to see another generic west-of-Scotland team disappear in exchange for Raith Rovers. But Thomas, you ask, isn't St Mirren just another generic west-of-Scotland team? Yes, they are, but we're a bit biased around here. St Mirren have a significantly richer history, with 3 triumphs in the Scottish Cup to 0 for Accies. Paisley is also much easier to get to, and the stadium's proximity to the station make it an easy and enjoyable trip for all.

In actual analysis, Hamilton can't score, and St Mirren can't keep people from scoring. St Mirren's offense has picked up lately, and they've got a fully fit squad to choose from. I think tomorrow's the day St Mirren puts Hamilton to the sword and finally ends their three-year stay in the SPL. Not a day too soon.