LOUIS LONGRIDGE is delighted to be defying Hamilton Accies’ doubters after another impressive win at the weekend.

Goals from Carlton Morris and Longridge recorded another three points for the Lanarkshire club as the triumphed 2-0 in Inveress.

It is another positive step taken by the New Douglas Park men, who were many pundits’ tip to get relegated this season.

However, their only Ladbrokes Premiership defeat this campaign has come at the hands of Celtic, and this latest result will surely have those who questioned their ability and that of boss Martin Canning rethinking their stance.

"We know that in every game we are written off, but it was the same last season,” said Longridge. “We had a strong finish last season, ending up seventh when everybody had predicted we would go down.

"But we know now, through experience, that if we put in the hard work and perform each week we have the quality to beat teams at this level.

"We know we will always create chances and it's just about being clinical."

Longridge was defensive of his manager, who came under increasing pressure last season as he stepped out of Alex Neil’s shadow.

"People forget that when the gaffer took over we lost Tony Andreu and Mickael Antoine-Curier," he said.. "Everybody focused on the managerial change, but we had lost two key players who scored most of our goals.

"It was quite a difficult period and we went through a sticky patch, but each week we worked harder.

"Since we got that first victory, the 2-0 win against Motherwell in April, we've pushed. We're on a good streak of form now."

Speaking about his late strike, the 24-year-old midfielder added: “It's my first goal in the Premiership having scored 12 in the Championship and several in the League Cup.

"I didn't doubt myself as such, as I've got quite a strong mind-set. If I was setting them up, I felt I was still doing my job.

"But as a forward player you do need to be scoring, so it's good to get it out of the way.

"We're just looking to finish as high up as possible. Last year we felt we should have finished higher than seventh. There's no reason why, this year, we can't push for the top six."