WHEN the end came, it was as brutal as the game that preceded it, and as swift and savage as Hamilton Accies’ two finishes on the break.

Stuart Kettlewell, the Ross County manager, found club hero status from his playing days was no armour against the axe, with the 36-year-old confirming his departure in a brief post-match interview.

The already embattled County head coach paid the price for another poor day in front of goal and there had been boos ringing out at the end from the small crowd allowed into the ground.

Kettlewell, who took co-charge with Steven Ferguson in March 2018 and secured a Premiership return, suffered his 12th defeat this season as the final straw after 24 games in sole charge.

“I have been relieved of my duties. That is the situation,” the clearly emotional Kettlewell said.

“Everybody knows I’ve got a brilliant relationship with the chairman, with the football club and everybody here – the cleaners, kit woman, groundsman, everybody.

“It’s a sore one, of course it is.

“I want to fight, scrap and do the best I possibly can for the football club. I have done that for a long time.

“We find ourselves bottom of the table and cut adrift a little bit off the back of this result.

“I understand football. There is no ill feeling from me towards the football club or to the chairman.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity. There have been a lot of high points, of course there have, but that’s for speaking about another day.

“It’s a bad day for me personally, and for the football club. I genuinely wish every success to the football club moving forward.

“Hopefully somebody can get a tune out of this group of players to get into a situation where we are not sitting at the foot of the table.”

The Premiership’s great survivors, Hamilton, picked County off with goals from Ross Callachan and Scott Martin in either half sending the Staggies four points adrift at the foot of the table.

Brian Rice’s side, well-drilled and clinical when it counted, claimed a fifth league win of the season with County left four points adrift of the pack of three above

It was County’s 10th league game without victory, leaving them with just three league goals since that poor run began in mid-September.

It was clear from the off this was to be no day for the purists.

There was far too much at stake for pretty football, with both sides deploying the tactical equivalent of the blunt instrument.

After just six minutes, Michael Gardyne should have opened the scoring for County.

A long ball forward from Callum Morris was controlled behind the Accies defence by the experienced wide man, who close in on keeper Ryan Fulton, cut onto his left foot but shot wide of the right hand post from 10 yards.

Three minutes later, Accies had a chance of their own with Ross Callachan placing a low shot just wide of the left hand post from David Moyo’s right-sided cut-back.

With 22 minutes gone, Accies grabbed a vital lead.

There was a bit of slackness from County in failing to clear as Moyo worked the ball along the 18-yard line and Callachan drove low past the diving Ross Laidlaw from the edge of the box into the left-hand corner.

Accies, with something to protect, only became harder to break down, dropping into defensive lines of four and five while trying to strike on the break - and two minutes after the hour, the hosts were in serious trouble.

Scott Martin struck sweetly with a right-foot finish after weaving forward with tenacity into the penalty area from midfield.

The immediate cry from the County technical area was “don’t feel sorry for yourselves”, but there was no way back as boos rang out from among the 300 crowd as the final whistle blew.

Away manager Rice hailed the return of the “real” Hamilton afterwards.

“It’s a fantastic result and I thought a really good performance, a strong performance - typical Hamilton,” he said.

“It was a Hamilton-like display and I asked for that before the game. Let’s get back to being ugly, aggressive, in their faces and let’s get a clean sheet.

“We did all of those things today and scored two really good goals.

“I know the strengths of Ross County. They get wide and get really good balls into the box.

“We knew we had to defend the box really well today and we all did that - and I include our goalkeeper in that.

“We knew what was coming but I also felt we would get chances at the other end, and so it proved.”