Dougie Imrie is desperate to get back in the Hamilton side and help their survival campaign but feels the battle for places can only help their cause.

Imrie has only played three times since Brian Rice took charge on January 31 – and Hamilton have won each of those games.

After a late substitute appearance in a victory over Hearts, Imrie was not in the squad for consecutive defeats by Kilmarnock and Livingston.

And he is keen to return for Saturday's Ladbrokes Premiership bottom-three clash with St Mirren as Accies bid to move seven points clear of the Paisley side.

Imrie retires from playing at the end of the season to coach the club's under-18s and wants to help leave Accies in the top flight, where they had just landed when he arrived five years ago

The 35-year-old said: "It's obviously difficult not playing but my job at the moment is to help everyone.

"I want to play if I can. Obviously the manager picks a team he thinks can go and win. You just have to accept it.

"I am ready to play if called upon and I will always be ready until the summer comes and then that's it. But I am fit and ready to go if the manager needs me.

"Every manager has a difficult decision to make on who they pick and who is on the bench. I am old enough and ugly enough to take it on the chin if I'm not picked and ready to go if he needs me.

"That's football, I am coming to the end of my career and younger kids are fighting for jerseys.

"It's good to have that, I am fighting to get back in, players are fighting to keep their place, guys on the bench are fighting to get in.

"The momentum and fighting spirit is all there. That's always good.

"Obviously results in the last couple of weeks haven't been great but we went up to Aberdeen and won and we beat hearts and St Johnstone here. So the performances are there, it's just the consistency.

"Everyone has got to be accountable. We have just got to roll our sleeves up for six massive games."