Hamilton Academical have moved a step closer to winning promotion back into the Scottish Premiership after beating Falkirk 1-0 in the playoff semi-final today.
The tie was delicately poised at 1-1 heading into the second leg at New Douglas Park following Tuesday's stalemate.
However, Anthony Andreu's first-half goal proved enough for the Accies to win the tie as Alex Neil's side now face another two-legged affair with Hibernian, who finished second from bottom in the SPL.
The hosts took a big step toward ending their three-year absence from Scotland's top flight after 15 minutes. Jason Scotland skipped past David McCracken before squaring to the unmarked Andreu, who tapped home from close range.
Goalkeeper Kevin Cuthbert was forced into two smart saves later in the half to preserve the advantage, as Mark Beck and Blair Alston were both thwarted by the shot-stopper.
Falkirk continued to threaten after the break and were unfortunate not to draw level in the tie as top goalscorer Rory Loy saw his would-be equaliser cleared off the line early in the half.
It was one of those days for Cuthbert, who looked unbeatable between the sticks as the 31-year-old produced more heroics to keep out Will Vaulks and Conor McGrandles.
Hamilton finished the encounter in the ascendancy and should have put the result beyond doubt but Michael McGovern did well to keep out Andy Ryan's goal-bound effort.
The miss was academic, though, as Hamilton held out to book a tie with Hibernian and move nearer to securing a first top-flight return since 2011.
Shane Callaghan
