The 1999-2000 season ended up being probably the most traumatic in Accies' 125-year history.

A poor start to the season under the erratic stewardship of Colin Miller gave way to a frustrating end with the 15-point deduction imposed by the Scottish Football League and confirmed on appeal by the SFA in April.

The club faces at least a season in the lowest echelon of league football as a result of what some commentators believe to be a hidden agenda whereby the authorities are keen to rid the Scottish game entirely of nomadic clubs like Accies.

Until April, Hamilton's season had been hampered by a distinct lack of consistency.

Improvement

Colin Miller's ill-fated tenure came to an end in September.

His replacement, Ally Dawson, brought about an improvement in team performances, largely as a result of some astute signings, notably Gordon Hunter and Ian Ferguson.

The competitive nature of the league meant that, even as late as February, promotion was not out of the question with the Accies six points off third place.

The arrival of the popular Jose Quitongo further galvanised the team. but their prospects crumbled instantaneously when the club failed to fulfil an away fixture at Stenhousemuir.

The SFL clearly took a dim view of such action and imposed an unprecedented 15-point deduction.

The team never recovered from that blow - had the first half of the season mirrored the second half in terms of performance, relegation would have been avoided.

Now the club will bid to bounce back to the Second Division and have the incentive of playing in a brand new stadium the following year.