Mitch Megginson struck twice but Cove Rangers were undone by a Hamilton Accies comeback in a 4-4 draw at New Douglas Park.
Mark Reynolds and Megginson put Cove into a 2-0 lead, but Andy Winter pulled one back for Hamilton before the interval.
Megginson and Gerry McDonagh both found the net in the second 45, before Andy Ryan and Steve Lawson both scored to create a nervy finish.
Ryan then bagged a bizarre late second to round off a topsy-turvy Championship contest.
Cove made one change from the 2-2 draw with Ayr United, as Shay Logan returned to the side in place of Evan Towler. Manager Jim McIntyre was absent through illness, so assistant boss Jimmy Boyle took charge of the team.
He was nearly given the perfect start to his temporary role, with Jack Sanders seeing a firm header tipped over the bar by Jamie Smith eight minutes in.
But, from the next set-piece, Cove did punish Accies, as Connor Scully returned the ball back into the danger area and Reynolds sent a looping header over the stranded Smith.
Cove had Hamilton rattled early, with Luis Longstaff testing Smith from distance and Scully having a goal-bound effort blocked, with boos coming from the home support after 15 minutes.
They needed to caution against complacency though and Sanders was nearly punished from a poor header back towards Kyle Gourlay, with Lewis Smith nipping in and being denied a sight of goal by the Cove stopper.
But at the other end Cove were starting to click, as Megginson and Scully exchanged passes for the skipper to draw a save out of Smith at his near post.
Megginson did get his name on the scoresheet before the break as Miko Virtanen was penalised for blocking Scully’s cross with his hand, resulting in a spot-kick.
Hamilton hit back immediately to reduce the deficit, with Winter’s deflected shot creeping past the outstretched boot of Gourlay.
The two-goal lead was restored two minutes into the second half, though, as Cove hit Hamilton on the counter. McDonagh swept the ball out to Scully, whose cross-shot picked out Megginson to tap in the third.
Cove continued to ramp up the pressure on the beleaguered hosts as Max Johnston clipped the ball across goal for McDonagh to backheel the ball beyond Smith.
In this ding-dong battle, Hamilton responded again, with Steve Lawson’s cross from the right met by Ryan at the back post to power into the roof of the net.
Accies players and staff were incensed with referee Chris Graham for not penalising Sanders, who held on to half-time substitute Jean-Pierre Tiehi for a good 20 yards before he was able to get a shot off.
They did, however, reduce the deficit further just after the hour as Reynolds went to ground and upended Winter just inside the box. Lawson tucked away the penalty.
Hamilton now had their tails up and the lively Winter tested Gourlay from the edge of the box, shooting through a crowd of players which the Cove goalkeeper clung on to.
The home side completed a remarkable comeback in the closing moments, after Gourlay was penalised for holding on to the ball for too long. An indirect free-kick was given just inside the penalty area and Ryan’s strike took a big deflection off Jamie Masson and rolled in.
HAMILTON ACCIES (4-1-4-1) – J Smith 5; Brown 5 (One 80), Doyle 6, Easton 6, Shiels 5 (McGinn 55), Virtanen 5, L Smith 5 (Mimnaugh 55), Lawson 6, Ngandu 5 (Tiehi 46), Winter 7, Ryan 7. Subs not used – Scully, Zanatta, Owens, Newbury, Latona.
COVE RANGERS (4-4-2) – Gourlay 5; Johnston 6, Sanders 6, Reynolds 6, Logan 6, Longstaff 5, Yule 6, Gilmour 6, Scully 7, McDonagh 7 (Masson 64), Megginson 8. Subs not used – McKenzie, Towler, Neill, Vigurs, Leitch, Dunne.
Referee – Chris Graham 5.
Player of the match – Mitch Megginson.