A second half flourish from Aberdeen helped them move above Hamilton into fourth place in the Scottish Premiership this afternoon.
Goals from Ash Taylor, Niall McGinn and an Adam Rooney penalty gave Derek McInnes’ side a deserved win against Accies at Pittodrie.
The Dons manager kept faith with the starting 11 which lost to Dundee in the Scottish Cup a week ago with midfielder Barry Robson again missing out due to a hip injury and he was rewarded by a convincing win from his players.
Accies arrived at Pittodrie having won just once in November and as a result they were cautious in their approach in a forgettable opening quarter of the game.
It was left to player-manager Alex Neil to provide the entertainment as he earned himself a caution following an exchange of views on the sidelines.
The game came to life in the 28th minute when Taylor bulleted a header from McGinn’s corner past Michael McGovern to give the Dons the lead in what was the first effort on goal in the match.
Aberdeen stepped it up in the second half with McGinn making it 2-0 with a lob over his Northern Ireland team-mate McGovern before Rooney made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Jonny Hayes had been fouled.
McGinn was denied his second of the afternoon when he struck the crossbar but the Dons were well worth their victory in a one-sided encounter.
Hamilton’s miserable afternoon was complete when midfielder Jon Routledge was sent off for a wild lunging challenge on Dons midfielder Ryan Jack.