Hamilton claimed an incident packed 4-3 victory over promotion rivals Brechin to boost their chances of stepping up to Division Two.

Hamilton opened the scoring after 32 minutes when Dylan Kerr headed home a Stuart Callaghan cross.

Brechin replied one minute later through Kevin Fotheringham's fiercely struck free-kick.

Two minutes before the break, Hamilton went 2-1 up when Callaghan drove the ball home with Brechin looking for offside.

David McFarlane's strike extended Hamilton's lead after 48 minutes when he connected with Michael Moore's header to fire the ball into the net.

The game looked to be over on the hour mark after McFarlane claimed his second goal from another Callaghan cross.

But the home side refused to give up and Roddy Grant's 12-yard shot pulled them back into the match with 20 minutes remaining.

And, two minutes later, Daryn Smith slotted home a Moray Leask pass to set up a nervous finish for the visitors, but they held on to secure a vital three points.