Such has been the transformation of Kilmarnock over the past year and a bit, there are village elders of the remote Kuna Indian tribe who have apparently been heard uttering the words,” aye, Steve Clarke’s done a hell of a job at Rugby Park.”

Prior to his arrival in Ayrshire, of course, things were looking decidedly bleak as Killie huffed, puffed and wheezed at the foot of the Ladbrokes Premiership. Here in the spring of 2019, European football is within their grasp as they surged into third place in the table with a five goal bonanza against a Hamilton side so inept, they made the House of Commons look decisive and dynamic.

So, was the European stage ever in the sights of Kirk Broadfoot when he signed on in the summer on 2017? “Not after the first eight games,” he said with a dry chortle. The determination in the Kilmarnock squad to finish the campaign with a flourish is evident. While canny Clarke has instilled a level-headed, keep-the-feet-on-the-ground mentality which has served Kilmarnock well, the tantalising prospects that sit seductively on the horizon are undeniable.

"We have secured top six and that was the objective at the beginning of the season but if we can get into Europe then fantastic,” said Broadfoot, who played in a UEFA Cup final with Rangers in 2008. "We have to go for Europe now. It would be like winning a trophy when you compare our budgets compared to the teams round about us. There are seven games left so why should we not go for second?

"Rangers are a massive club with a massive budget but they are reachable and why should we not go for it. Kilmarnock have taken the most points off Rangers this season so if you look at it like that then it is doable. After the split everybody plays everybody. If we keep playing the way we did against Hamilton then we should not fear anyone.”

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If Hamilton play the way they did on Saturday, meanwhile, they’ll be fearing everybody. Brian Rice, the Accies manager, admitted in the aftermath that he had never been more embarrassed by a performance in his entire career.

“When you consider how long he's been in the game, I don't think me saying anything is going to add to that,” said Ziggy Gordon as Hamilton’s Jekyll & Hyde showings continued to leave them peering over their shoulders at the wrong end of the table. “I think he's got it spot on. Every player will go back, look themselves in the mirror and say 'did I do enough?' "That's not up for me to say, that's not up to the captain or the gaffer to say. It's for them to say themselves.

"We're all in it together, end of story. It's going to be touch and go until the very last ball is kicked this season. I've come off the pitch before after losing and not been too disappointed. Everyone loses games, even Barcelona and Real Madrid. But it's about the manner you lose them and this wasn't the right manner.”

Kilmarnock were rewarded for their early thrusts on five minutes when Greg Taylor controlled Youssouf Mulumbu’s bullet pass superbly and finished with great aplomb.

It took until the 55th minute for the hosts to double their lead, though, as Conor McAleny stroked in from close range. It went from bad to worse for Hamilton as Mulumbu added a third before Chris Burke got in on the act with six minutes to go. Mikael Ndjoli thundered a searing strike into the net to complete the rout in the last knockings.