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Kenny McLean (left) scored just before half-time for Aberdeen

Kenny McLean's strike gave Aberdeen the win in a frantic but entertaining League Cup tie at Hamilton.

The midfielder's first-half finish owed much to brilliant skill in the build-up by exciting prospect Scott Wright.

Hamilton contributed to a riveting contest that was not awash with chances, but still managed to provide an enjoyable spectacle.

Referee Nick Walsh had his work cut out with plenty of minor infringements to call.

The Dons will visit Motherwell in the last eight.

The pressure was on the man in the middle in light of comments made by managers Derek McInnes and Martin Canning following Sunday's meeting between the teams.

Dons boss McInnes rebuked his Accies counterpart for suggesting the Lanarkshire side rarely got the decisions going their way in Aberdeen's 2-0 victory in the Premiership at Pittodrie. The pair had to agree to disagree on that matter.

The game started at a crazy pace, with play open and stretched as if it was the last five minutes. Goalkeepers were fluffing clearances, Darian MacKinnon picked up a booking, Dons goalkeeper Joe Lewis needed treatment and strikers were getting in the way of each others' shots.

But more clear-cut chances emerged and initially it was Aberdeen's Ryan Christie who spurned two of them - first dragging wide after a brilliant first touch and then later being denied by Accies goalkeeper Woods when well-positioned.

Aberdeen's Kenny McLean battles with Hamilton's Ali Crawford

Steven Boyd was impressive for the hosts and was involved in anything good they did in an attacking sense, yet it was the Dons who took the lead at a venue they have lost at in their past two visits.

Wright, a day after his 20th birthday, beat Grant Gillespie with a lovely piece of skill down the left and his low cross eventually fell to McLean to despatch into the net from the edge of the box.

Hamilton nearly responded immediately when Lewis pulled off a great save to turn Docherty's left-foot effort wide following more good work by Boyd.

After the break Boyd set up Bingham, who failed to get his shot away soon enough, then Tomas headed narrowly wide for the hosts.

The match's bizarre entertainment factor was summed up when Aberdeen's coaching team paused slightly when deciding who to take off for Miles Storey, and the Hamilton stadium announcer said "make your mind up" over the tannoy.

Near the end Gillespie nearly equalised when he went on a nice mazy run only to see his attempt curl agonisingly past the wrong side of the post.

Post-match reaction

Hamilton manager Martin Canning: "It was quite similar to Sunday. I thought we performed well. We're disappointed to lose the game but I saw encouraging signs.

"We know we can compete at this level. That's the second best team in the country and we've competed well over the two games albeit we've lost 3-0 over the two games. They've got the numbers, I wouldn't say quality because we've got the quality, but they have a few more who can lend a hand."

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes: "It was a difficult game. Hamilton have a brilliant attitude. They make the game untidy at times and don't give you a minute. But I thought, once we got the goal, that settled us down.

"Hamilton kept us on our toes until the end. By and large, pleased to get a clean sheet and win at a difficult venue."