GARY Woods has warned his Hamilton Accies team-mates to get off their backsides and ensure survival in the top flight rather than dreaming it’s already done.

For the second time in four days Hamilton conceded a goal after just five minutes on Saturday, following up the 1-0 loss at McDiarmid Park against St Johnstone last midweek with a 2-0 defeat at Kilmarnock.

Ninth-placed Hamilton may have a Ladbrokes Premiership game in hand on Dundee, Partick Thistle and Ross County beneath them, but with only five points between Accies and the Jags in the play-off spot, Woods says that advantage could evaporate in an instant.

Woods warned: “Maybe some players are too relaxed because the teams below us are a few points behind us and they think the season’s done – but that’s certainly not the case.

“If that is the reason then we need kicking up the backside.”

And the goalkeeper added: “That’s two games in a row we’ve conceded very early goals. I don’t know why that is but there have been too many matches where we haven’t performed for 90 minutes – we’ve only played for one half and that happened against St Johnstone and again at Kilmarnock.

“We can’t keep giving ourselves a mountain to climb.

“We’d done everything to prepare properly so who knows what’s causing this?

“We have two tough games coming up away to Hibs [tomorrow] and at home to Celtic [on Saturday] so we need to pick up some points. We’re only five away from second-bottom so it only takes two wins and for us to lose and that’s done.

“We’d picked up seven points from three games before these last two defeats so it only takes someone else to do that and we’re right back in it.

“We just haven’t been good enough in the last two games.”

If losing the early opener to Lee Erwin was bad enough at Rugby Park, the second goal in first-half injury time to Stephen O’Donnell’s trundler from fully 30 yards was doubly disappointing for Woods.

His boss Martin Canning dubbed O’Donnell’s bobbly effort that rolled through a pack of players and nestled in the corner of the net “a freak goal” – and Woods claimed he just couldn’t get sight of the ball.

“Antonio Rojano’s headed it out and we haven’t squeezed up,” Woods complained of Rory McKenzie’s corner that led to O’Donnell’s effort.

“Someone ran out too quickly and their lad’s tried to help it back in. There were too many bodies in front of me for me to see it and I think one of our players stuck a leg out and diverted it away from me.

“But that’s what happens when things aren’t going for you – we had a similar incident at the other end and it didn’t go in.”

The 27-year-old admits the Hamilton players are now doing the maths to determine what is needed to stay up.

Woods said: “How many more wins do we need? That depends on everyone else.

“But we can’t rely on others. We need to sort ourselves out.”