While most managers are happy to focus on one game at a time, Hamilton boss Billy Reid is already casting his eye well beyond Sunday's Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League clash against Celtic.

Of course, the Accies boss would love to add their name to a list which already includes Dundee United, Rangers and, most recently, Motherwell who have taken points off Tony Mowbray's men so far this season.

But, as far as Reid is concerned, a handful of games after the visit of the Hoops are the ones which are likely to play a bigger part in shaping Hamilton's campaign.

He said: "We want to take something on Sunday but in our next four games we have St Mirren, Motherwell, Falkirk and St Johnstone and these are games we must take points from.

"They are teams who are round about us in the table and will be very important games for us.

"If we'd clung on against Dundee United on Saturday we would have been two points higher up the league and those points make a difference. It's a thin line and we came so close to picking up the three points last week."

Reid admits the mood has been mixed in training this week, with his players still reeling from the agony of losing that late equaliser at Tannadice while also being aware of the positives they can take from an impressive performance at a notoriously difficult venue.

"It did hurt to lose a goal in the manner in which we did in the final few seconds of the game," said the Accies boss.

"But we have to try to turn it into a positive. If you go to Tannadice and put in the performance we did and come within 30 seconds of taking the points, it's a great effort.

"We have to take that into our home games and make sure we perform in front of our own fans. If we can do that, we will be fine."

This season is shaping up to be another tough one to call and Reid predicts several clubs could once again be involved in a relegation battle in the closing weeks of the campaign.

He said: "I said at the start of last season - in my first season in the SPL - that there would be a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and a lot of teams fighting at the bottom end of the table come the end of the season.

"I think we saw that it went right to the wire. It could be like that again. There will be a group of clubs with not a lot between them.

"A big issue is that teams have to keep their key players fit because of the size of the squads. If some teams get injuries to their main players, they could have problems. I include us in that."