Dundee’s relegation fears increased as they lost for a seventh consecutive game at Hamilton won at Dens Park to leapfrog them in the Premiership table.
The latest reversal means the Dark Blues have slipped to eleventh _ the relegation play-off place.
Dundee went with what looked an attacking line up with Marcus Haber, Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Craig Wighton all included.
Two of that trio combined to set up the first chance. El Bakhtaoui got the ball on the half way line, made ground and then found Haber on the right of the penalty box. The Canadian cut the ball across the face of goal, but he was just a little early with his delivery meaning neither Wighton nor El Bakhtaoui could get the necessary touch to put it into the back of the net.
Seconds later Haber almost made amends with a low shot from 15 yards Remi Matthews did well to touch round his left post.
At the other end only a diving Kevin Holt block prevented Scott Bain being worked by a Rakish Bingham shot. Accies were looking dangerous and when Bingham let fly again, this time from 16 yards, it took a superb Bain stop to deny him the opening goal.
With 17 minutes on the clock, Dundee wasted another good chance. Tom Hateley crossed from the right and with the goal at his mercy Haber failed to connect. It was end-to-end stuff and when the visitors got forward Bain needed to make another fine save, this time from Greg Docherty.
In the 22nd minute disaster struck for Dundee. A long punt forward was chased by Dougie Imrie and when Hateley tried to clear the danger he missed the ball and brought his opponent down, leaving referee John Beaton with no option but to point to the penalty spot. Alex D’Acol stepped up to take the kick and beat Bain with a powerful effort.
The home team were up against it now, but they did go close when El Bakhtaoui cut in from the left and sent his low effort narrowly wide.
Then a low Hateley corner found Wighton and his low shot beat Matthews only to be cleared off the line by Docherty.
Eight minutes before the break it was Dundee’s turn to appeal for a penalty. A fantastic pass from Hateley released El Bkhtaoui and after flicking the ball over Georgios Sarris, there was a coming together that saw the Dee striker crash to the ground.
As the players and fans howled for a penalty, this time referee Beaton waved play on and again it seemed the right decision.
Dundee were pushing hard for the equaliser and it almost came when a Paul McGowan cross was headed at goal by El Bakhtaoui. Matthews, though, did well to dive to his right and save.
A huge second half lay ahead, but it took Paul Hartley’s men ten minutes to work Matthews in the Accies goal and when they did, he saved well from El Bakhtaoui.
And they should have been two down when Massimo Donati headed an Imrie corner over from no more than five yards.
There was another home blow when Cammy Kerr picked up a knock and had to be replaced by Henrik Ojamaa. Accies then went close via a deflected Docherty cross-cum-shot from the right.
When Dundee forced a corner on the left, Hateley’s kick led to a scramble in the box before Donati scrambled the ball clear.
Seven minutes from the end another miserable Dens Park day was complete as Accies skipper Michael Devlin grabbed his side’s second from close range.
Before play restarted hundreds of Dundee fans were heading for the exits and it was hard to blame them.
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