JOEL THOMAS today urged his Hamilton team mates to forget about their relegation worries - and focus on storming up the SPL table instead.

French forward Thomas won Accies the penalty which ensured their narrow 1-0 win over bottom-placed Caley Thistle on Saturday.

He was brought down by Grant Munro just inside the Inverness box and Simon Mensing stepped up and calmly buried the spot kick.

That made it three wins in a row for Billy Reid's boys - and four on the spin at New Douglas Park - and put them six points above the drop zone.

Now Thomas, whose team take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park this weekend, reckons Hamilton should set their sights even higher.

He said: "The game with Inverness was hard because of the wind and the rain, but everybody was brave and we got the result we wanted.

"We have a great spirit in the dressing room. We all worked hard for each other. That fight will be important in the remainder of our games.

"When you win against a team near to you in the league it is not worth three points, it is worth six points. I think we have a big advantage over them now.

"But the league is long and we all know it is not finished yet. We need to keep playing well and fighting for each other like we did on Saturday to survive.

"But why can't we go further up the league? We are above both Inverness and Falkirk now and I think we should be looking to move even higher.

"Most people thought that Hamilton would be relegated at the end of this season, but I think we can surprise a few people.

"If we can keep the good atmosphere in the dressing room, believe in ourselves and get a bit of luck then I think we will be alright."

Inverness protested when referee Brian Winter, who had waved away two strong penalty claims earlier, awarded the spot kick in 39 minutes.

However, Thomas, who was itching to take it and bag what would have been just his second goal of the season, insists the decision was correct.

He revealed: "I was definitely tripped. I wanted to have a go as I like to take them. But perhaps it was too soon after being brought down for me to do so.

"It was not a problem as Simon took a very good penalty in difficult conditions to put us in front and ultimately give us a very important win."

The 21-year-old, who joined from German club Kaiserslautern in the summer, was impressed with new arrival Paul McGowan.

Frontman McGowan has joined Accies on loan until the end of the season from Celtic and looks to be an invaluable addition to Reid's squad.

Thomas said: "He is a very, very good player but Saturday was not a day for playing nice football and when the conditions are better I think we will see the best of him."

With a first-class keeper, solid defence and players capable of producing a moment of magic in James McArthur, James McCarthy and McGowan, Hamilton are looking a safe bet to stay up.

An Inverness team lacking quality up front, on the other hand, appear to be heading back to the First Division after five years in the SPL.

Yet, as Thomas points out, there is a long way to go and anything can happen.