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Hamilton held their nerve to win three valuable points in a scrappy relegation struggle against Kilmranock.

Quality was a victim of what was at stake with these sides among the three being chased down by bottom side Dundee United.

The decisive goal came during the second half, when Carlton Morris scored with a header.

Kilmarnock had few chances to rue, although Kris Boyd did hit the crossbar with a free-kick.

Both of these teams had suffered heavy defeats in recent weeks, so confidence might still have been bruised, but the prevailing mood was to avoid defeat.

That inevitably produced a tense, nerve-ridden encounter in which the play tended to be scrappy and the decision-making rash. The conditions didn't help, since a cold, biting wind gusted across the pitch throughout and contributed to some of the wayward distribution.

Occasional half-chances emerged from the struggle, but they tended to lack composure. Hamilton would have been heartened, for instance, to see that it was Ali Crawford who was sent scurrying through on goal by Morris, but the midfielder - normally so assured - clipped the ball over Jamie Macdonald but wide of the upright.

There were plenty of attacking options in either side, but they were often peripheral. Even when they did participate, they were reduced to the quality of the game overall. Josh Magennis has been a threat for Kilmarnock throughout the season, but he headed well over when Greg Kiltie crossed into the area.

The same flaws were evident in the second-half, with Gramoz Kurtaj met a Morris cross inside the six-yard box but lifted his first-time effort so high over the bar that the ball ended up in the top tier of the stand behind the goal.

With home advantage, Kilmarnock ought to have been more dominant, and they did muster a period of attacking intent. Kris Boyd claimed for a penalty when he looked to have been bundled over inside the area, and later sent a free-kick from 20 yards out glancing off the face of the bar.

In between, Jamie Hamill headed a Kiltie cross over. The sense, then, was of momentum building, but it was quickly curtailed. Ali Crawford's corner was met by Morris, who rose highest in a packed penalty area and headed the ball over Macdonald's reach and into the roof of the net.

As Kilmarnock pushed forward in search of an equaliser, Hamilton reverted to counter-attack football and should have added to their lead when the substitute Alex D'Acol robbed Lee Ashcroft at the byline and squared for Imrie, but he swept his effort over the bar.