Hamilton manager Billy Reid has branded his team's dire start to the season "unacceptable" after Saturday's 4-0 SPL home defeat to Hearts.

After opening the season with a loss at Aberdeen, Reid was stunned to see his side beaten by the same scoreline at home by Hearts, the Edinburgh club's biggest winning margin in four seasons.

Reid is without club captain Alex Neil and his most senior defender Mark McLaughlin because of injuries and lost James McArthur to Wigan during the summer, but admitted he still expected much better.

Reid said: "For a Premier League club that wasn't acceptable and wasn't good enough, but it's not the players who take the blame, it's me as well. I signed them, I put them on the park.

"We were well beaten four-nothing. We'll deal with some of the defending in-house. Some of the individual mistakes were absolutely suicidal.

We didn't dwell on last week's performance, we chose to look forward, but maybe we should have done. Maybe it wasn't a blip. We need to show people the mistakes they were making because if they continue to do that it won't be good enough.

"We are missing key players, but that doesn't excuse some of the things happening out there. We're probably about eight players down from the final game of last season.

"We committed suicide by conceding our fourth penalty in two games and at this level as a manager it makes you want to pull your hair out.

"At times it was embarrassing. We had big holes to plug and being honest it's hard work at the moment. At this club we all stick together through the hard times and bounce back."

Hearts manager Jim Jefferies singled out Calum Elliot for praise as the forward, who failed to score at all season, led the way with two goals.

A penalty from Kevin Kyle and a fine strike by David Templeton completed the Hearts scoring in a game which saw both teams reduced to 10 men, Ruben Palazuelos booked twice for Hearts and Martin Canning given a straight red for Hamilton.

Jefferies said: "Calum got one last week against St Johnstone and now he's got two in this game having not scored for the club at all last term.

"He was disappointed by that, but to be fair to him he was out with injury a long time last season and coming back from the type of injuries he's had and you're not the sharpest, then you're putting yourself in the firing line to get a bit of criticism.

"I think the fans saw the best of Calum today and what he brings, because apart from his goals his work-rate was tremendous and that's why I didn't take him off because he's such a willing worker for the team."

Source: Team Talk