IF Martin Canning was feeling the strain ahead of Hamilton’s crucial match with Dundee United, he was hiding it well as he previewed the match yesterday.

Just a couple of weeks after coming under intense pressure on the back of a terrible run of form, a win over Kilmarnock and a free weekend has resulted in the heat dying down a little on the rookie boss.

While he admitted that there is no getting away from the importance of Saturday’s game, he played down its ‘six-pointer’ status, claiming that a third win of the season over United would be just the latest step on Accies’ road to recovery.

He said: “We aren’t looking at league positions and thinking where we will be if we lose or where we will be if we win at the moment, it’s just a case of looking at the game individually where there’s three points up for grabs, and it’s up to us to go and earn them.

“When you look at Dundee United, they’ve probably not got the results that their performances have always deserved.

“As I’ve been saying all season, there’s very little between all the sides in the league. They obviously went through a bad run, but there will be very little in it and we know it will be a difficult game.

“It’s up to us to go and try to win it, we’ve managed that twice already this season against them and we need to make sure we do it again.

“Every team has gone through wee spells when they’ve been doing well and wee spells when they’ve struggled, and hopefully we can go on a good run now.

“The last couple of results have been positive, and although it’s a cliché, we really are treating every game like a cup final now.

“The games that are just past will have no impact on the game ahead of us, we need to be fully focused and clear our mind for this match.

“It is a results business and when you look at the Dundee United game there is no doubt that it is a massive game for us.

“We’ve got to try to get three points. There can be a pressure at this time of the season, but I don’t put any pressure on the boys.

“We’re lucky people. We do a job that we love doing.

“I think pressure is when you’re out there looking for work, but for us, we’ve got a job that we love. We’re fortunate enough to be getting paid for it, so if that’s pressure then it’s a good pressure and it will help us going into this game.

“The Kilmarnock win before the break obviously helped, it’s always nice to get a positive result before a weekend off.

“The place has been buoyant and the boys have worked hard this week, so we’ll be well prepared and ready to go come Saturday.”

A win over the Arabs this weekend would signal quite the turnaround for Canning, but even if they do make it three games unbeaten, he says he won’t be resting on his laurels.

He added: “I think you’re always one or two defeats away from questions getting asked about your position, but for me, it’s when you’re not thinking like that you could end up in trouble.

“You’ve got to always keep that in mind so that you keep your head down and keep working hard."