Hamilton boss Brian Rice admits he always has to keep his emotions in check.

Accies players returned to training this week buoyed by their 4-1 Lanarkshire derby win over Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday.

Rice, however, quickly consigned the convincing win to history to focus on the trip to St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday.

The former Hibernian, Nottingham Forest and Falkirk midfielder said: “Like any club on a Monday morning, if you get a positive result the boys are lively but it is normal for me, feet back on the ground.

“I don’t get too high. I get very low but I don’t get too high. I have to make sure the boys are ready to go again.

“I don’t get too high because I know the next game is the most important and I have got to get myself ready for that. I’ve got to be ready physically and mentally for that.

“I get very very low when things are going wrong but not in front of the players or media, when I am on my own or in the house with my family and try to keep it that way.

“I don’t want the players to see me when I am low, it is something I try really hard not to do. I’m always upbeat about them and you can ask them.

“If I am upbeat, that’s how I want them to be, it doesn’t matter what is happening around us.

“I never got too high as player either because I always know that the next game is so important.

“The end of the season is the only time I can relax and look back and think, that was a tough spell or that was a good spell.”

Hamilton are above bottom side Ross County on goal difference having played a game less and with 11 fixtures remaining.

Rice said: “To get a result would be a fantastic. But it would only be three points and then we would move on to Saturday.

“To win tomorrow night would move us above Kilmarnock with a game in hand so if you look at it from that aspect, it would be massive but then we would see where we go from there.”