"What a job Steve Clarke has done since he came in, he has been brilliant," said the Accies manager, whose side fought out a 1-1 with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in October.

"Obviously the players have bought into it and done their bit but what he has done has been great.

"You forget how experienced he is.

"I read a thing where (former Chelsea player) Joe Cole was talking about how Stevie Clarke stepped up and did this in the Champions League final and the League Cup final and this cup final and they almost won the league.

"You are thinking you are forgetting how he has been at the absolute top of the game and managed and coached at the top level.

"That experience has been invaluable for Kilmarnock and he has done a great job with them.

"We know it will be a difficult game but having had a positive result at Rugby Park, we could have won the game, we know we are capable and that is the most important thing."

Canning believes the belief Clarke has instilled in his side since he took over the Ayrshire club in October 2017 has made all the difference.

The former Hamilton defender said: "You can see the difference from Kilmarnock teams before him and the biggest thing in football is belief and that is what you have got at Kilmarnock.

"You have a group of players believing that they are going to get results.

"If you have that dip in confidence and belief it can affect results. It doesn't need to be a huge amount in this league for you to lose some games as opposed to win some games.

"Stevie has managed to build that belief that they are going to win games."

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