ALEX NEIL is confident Hamilton will find a killer touch in front of goal as they gear up for their Premiership return this weekend.

Accies got their campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 triumph over Arbroath in the Scottish League Cup first round on Saturday.

But the scoreline didn't reflect the manner in which Neil's side eased to success as they controlled the tie.

Dougie Imrie's superb early strike set the hosts on their way to victory before Louis Longridge netted with 20 minutes remaining.

Kevin Buchan's late header was only a consolation for Allan Moore's men in Lanarkshire.

And boss Neil knows his side will have to be more clinical in the final third when they kick off their Premiership campaign against Inverness Caley Thistle this weekend.

He said: "It is always good to get a win. We went to Airdrie last year and didn't manage to win the game.

"It was positive in terms of how much we controlled the match.

"In the final third, we could have been a bit more clinical and made the game easier for ourselves.

"But we were in total control of the match and I don't think we deserved for them to score a goal.

"There are wee things we need to brush up on.

"I thought a lot of our attacking play was good but there are things we need to improve.

"Match sharpness, certainly in terms of being clinical in the last third of the pitch, seems to be the thing that comes last in pre-season.

"When you come back in, you get your fitness up and stamina levels up and then your quality in terms of moving the ball.

"I thought we did that really well and now we need to add the final bits that make a difference."

Neil handed starts to summer signings Imrie, Michael McGovern and Danny Redmond against the Red Lichties, and all three impressed as Accies clinched a place in the second round of the tournament.

Midfield pair Jon Routledge and Tony Andreu both missed the first competitive clash of the campaign due to injury but could be back in first-team action in the coming weeks.

Neil said: "Jon is in recovery at the moment after his operation.

"He has been doing some straight-line running and will probably be three or four weeks away in terms of playing games.

"Tony has also been doing a lot of straight-line running and will join in with the ball hopefully this week. He is probably two weeks away from playing."