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Conor Sammon and Jordan Jones grabbed the goals as Kilmarnock ensured they are safe from automatic relegation with victory away to Hamilton Accies.

Sammon fired home from close range after Steven Smith's shot was blocked on the line.

Jones made it 2-0 before half time with a neat finish after Kris Boyd's head-flick set him up.

The win takes Kilmarnock to 38 points and they now cannot finish bottom of the Premiership.

Killie also moved back into seventh spot in the table, while Hamilton are now level on 32 points with second-from-bottom Motherwell.

Killie keep it tight

Hamilton got off to a bright start as Massimo Donati played in Dougie Imrie down the right.

His shot looked destined for the top corner, but Kilmarnock keeper Freddie Woodman did well to get a hand to the ball and divert the shot on to the post.

Kilmarnock settled into the game after that and they took the lead in the 11th minute.

The goal came from a well worked corner, with the ball eventually falling to Sammon and he applied the finish.

Hamilton's Dougie Imrie had two first-half shots brilliantly saved by Freddie Woodman.

The away side doubled their lead thanks to a flick-on from a throw in. Boyd nodded the ball into the box and there was Jones to fire low past Hamilton keeper Remi Matthews.

Woodman then did well to save from an Imrie header, getting a touch to divert the ball on to the left-hand post.

Accies denied

Woodman had to be in fine shot-stopping mode again to prevent Accies from getting back into this match in the second half.

Greg Docherty had the shot from the edge of the area, but Woodman was not to be beaten.

There was a big call for a penalty for Kilmarnock when Jones appeared to be bundled over in the box by Georgios Sarris, but there was not enough in it for referee Willie Collum and he waved play on.

McCulloch finds right mix

There is little doubt interim boss Lee McCulloch has brought a greater solidity to this Kilmarnock side.

Experienced campaigners such as Boyd, Smith and Gary Dicker, allied with talented youngsters such as Kristoffer Ajer, Greg Taylor and Jones playing in harmony, makes for an impressive unit pulling in the right direction.

Conor Sammon scored from close range to give Kilmarnock a crucial lead

Had Imrie's chances found the net, this would have been a different story and Woodman deserves great credit in the Kilmarnock goal for denying the winger twice.

On the evidence of this display, Killie should have more than enough to avoid the play-off place as well, but the future looks more precarious for Accies.

Post-match reaction

Hamilton manager Martin Canning: "I have said the last few weeks that, even when you win, you can't get too high and where you lose you can't get too low.

"It was a strange game, because we controlled large parts of the game and we didn't defend our box well enough.

"I don't remember Kilmarnock having many attempts at goal.

"Credit to Kilmarnock. When they got their goals, they defended properly, two or three fantastic blocks to stop us getting strikes away.

"We have had a bit of bad luck, Dougie Imrie has hit the outside of the post and the inside of the post. It just wasn't to be today."

Interim Kilmarnock manager Lee McCulloch: "Delighted with that - I didn't know that [that his side cannot now finish 12th].

"The focus has just been ourselves. It's not been anyone up above us or down below us.

"It's about coming into training every day and getting better every day. Getting better individually and as a team, not just the players but the staff too.

"Pleased with the result, but we're not home and dry yet.

"Didn't start too well, great set-play for the goals, something we have worked on several times this week.

"Peter Leven, the assistant manager, is always full of ideas. It was brilliant to see us get a goal from a set-play, which has been very uncommon this season. "