Cummins aims to strike it lucky against Hamilton

And while he’s found goals hard to come by this season, Cummins has had a hand in vital strikes against Dundee and Motherwell that have reignited hopes of another European adventure this summer.

And Tommy Wright’s men know another win in Lanarkshire will crank up the pressure on fourth-place rivals Hearts, who face title-chasing Celtic tomorrow before a midweek trip to McDiarmid Park.

Cummins, 29, said: “Top six was obviously our main aim at the start of the season.

“Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen were pretty much guaranteed, which only left two spots to go for. It is a mini-league below it.

“So, to finish above Hearts would be a great achievement.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence going into these last nine games and we want to make sure we make Wednesday night a really big game.

“Fourth could have the added bonus of Europe, which is something all the players are talking about. We didn’t have it this season. The fans and players missed it.

“We probably benefited from having a rest last summer but we’d love to be back in Europe again.

“The whole team is feeling good about itself.

“We knew how big our last two games were and that if we could win them it would take the pressure off for making the top six.”

Cummins, whose four-goal tally includes a January brace in a 3-0 win over Accies, insists his confidence has been boosted by influential displays in recent weeks.

“Personally, I’m happy with how things are going, but I’m always happy to be part of a winning team.

“I’ve set up a couple of goals and had a hand in another one.

“The first thing you want is a win, then as a striker you want to score and after that it’s assists.

“I played under a manager who said you either need to stop goals, score goals or create goals.

“So I’m happy with being involved in the gaols we’re getting because it does give you confidence.

“The Hearts game is obviously going to be a big game on Wednesday but we can make it even bigger if we can win against Hamilton.

“If we win there could be a five-point gap but if results go the other way we would be chasing.”

Accies are desperate to escape the basement and Cummins cautioned: “Every time we’ve played Hamilton they have been a good side.

“Even when we beat them 3-0 at our place the last time they played really well. I thought they were a bit unlucky.We were happy to get in 0-0 at half-time.

“They won’t be happy with the position they’re in. If we don’t perform well we’ll come away with nothing.

“Last year I think we broke a club record for consecutive away wins and it’s been really good this season as well. Sometimes that just happens.

“Maybe it’s because the pressure is on the home team to perform and we just go in and do a job.

“Against Motherwell we might have been a bit fortunate to be level at half-time again but we got our second half goal and saw the game out well. We’re performing professionally.”

Cummins admits 10-goal strike partner MacLean will be missed.

He said: “Macca is a big leader on the pitch for us so we would want him out there with us. It’s not just his goals and his skill.

“He’s very vocal, even in the warm-up. I listen to him a lot. He speaks to me a lot through the game.

“I don’t think people realise how much influence he has.

“When you’re playing as a pair up front, communication is really important. You know exactly what you’re doing. That’s going to be missed.”

Boss Wright has David Wotherspoon, Steven Anderson and Zander Clark available after treatment during the international break.