# 2022–23 Hamilton Academical F.C. season

The 2022–23 season was Hamilton Academical's second season back in the second tier of Scottish football, following their relegation from the Scottish Premiership at the end of the 2020–21 season. Hamilton also competed in the League Cup, Challenge Cup and the Scottish Cup.

## Summary
### Management

Former Hamilton player and assistant manager Stuart Taylor returned to the club after being appointed as their new head coach on 20 August 2021.
Taylor would step down from his role on 23 June 2022 after 10 months in charge. John Rankin, who had been first-team coach under Taylor, was promoted to the position of head coach 5 days later.
On 20 May 2023, following a play-off draw with Lanarkshire derby rivals Airdrieonians, Hamilton were relegated to League One after losing 5–6 on penalties and dropped down to the third tier of Scottish football for the first time since 2005.

## Results and fixtures

Win  Draw  Loss  Postponed

### Scottish Cup
## Squad statistics
### Appearances

As of 20 May 2023
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | League Cup | League Cup | Challenge Cup | Challenge Cup | Scottish Cup | Scottish Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | SCO | Ryan Fulton | 41 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Matthew Shiels | 41 | 0 | 27+3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | IRL | Daniel O'Reilly | 46 | 7 | 37 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | SCO | Brian Easton | 25 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | SCO | Jamie Hamilton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | SCO | Lewis Spence | 9 | 0 | 2+5 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | SCO | Scott Martin | 46 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Benny Ashley-Seal | 9 | 1 | 6+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | CAN | Dario Zanatta | 38 | 6 | 15+16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3+1 | 3 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | SCO | Lewis Smith | 45 | 1 | 22+12 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | WAL | Tom Sparrow | 17 | 0 | 11+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | SCO | Marley Redfern | 4 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | AUS | Dylan McGowan | 24 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Dylan Stephenson | 12 | 1 | 2+8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | FRA | Jean-Pierre Tiéhi | 40 | 5 | 21+13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | SCO | Reegan Mimnaugh | 31 | 2 | 19+5 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | SCO | Andy Winter | 48 | 7 | 30+8 | 7 | 3+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | FW | SCO | Connor Smith | 19 | 6 | 18+1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | SCO | Reghan Tumilty | 20 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | SCO | Lucas De Bolle | 26 | 1 | 16+5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | TOG | Steve Lawson | 31 | 3 | 24+3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | SCO | Fergus Owens | 25 | 1 | 13+4 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | SCO | Jamie Smith | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | GK | IRL | Ryan Scully | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | DF | SCO | Chris McGinn | 19 | 0 | 3+8 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 41 | FW | SCO | Ryan Oné | 28 | 2 | 2+16 | 0 | 0+4 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 | 0+2 | 1 |
| 42 | DF | SCO | Cian Newbury | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | MF | SCO | Gabriel Forsyth | 5 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 44 | MF | SCO | Lewis Latona | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | FW | SCO | Ben Black | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Players who left the club during the 2022–23 season ||||||||||
| 2 | DF | SCO | Michael Doyle | 28 | 0 | 20+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Andy Ryan | 19 | 9 | 11+2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 3 |
| 12 | DF | SCO | Shaun Want | 5 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | FIN | Miko Virtanen | 5 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Jonny Ngandu | 14 | 0 | 5+4 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Ellis Brown | 8 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | SCO | Myles Gaffney | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Team statistics
### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 6 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 52 | 47 | +5 | 55 | |
| 7 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 43 | |
| 8 | Arbroath | 36 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 29 | 47 | −18 | 34 | |
| 9 | Hamilton Academical (R) | 36 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 31 | 63 | −32 | 31 | Qualification for the Championship play-offs |
| 10 | Cove Rangers (R) | 36 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 38 | 75 | −37 | 31 | Relegation to League One |

### League Cup table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DND | HAM | QPA | FOR | STR |
| 1 | Dundee | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 12 | Qualification for the second round | — | 3–0 | — | 5–1 | — |
| 2 | Hamilton Academical | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 | | — | — | p1–1 | — | 5–2 |
| 3 | Queen's Park | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 7 | | 1–2 | — | — | 4–1 | — |
| 4 | Forfar Athletic | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 3 | | — | 0–3 | — | — | 3–0 |
| 5 | Stranraer | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 16 | −12 | 0 | | 0–3 | — | 2–5 | — | — |
* ↑ Forfar Athletic were awarded a technical 3−0 win over Stranraer, who fielded an ineligible player. The match had originally finished 2–2, with Forfar Athletic securing the bonus point following a 5–3 win on penalties.