Brian Rice wants Hamilton to benefit from the excitement that will surround new Hibernian boss Paul Heckingbottom at Easter Road on Saturday.

The former Barnsley and Leeds manager was appointed head coach of the Leith club on Wednesday with Accies his first opponents in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Rice knows how a new face in the dugout can change fortunes having secured three points from two games since taking over at Hamilton from Martin Canning, who recorded eight defeats and a draw in his last nine matches.

Now he is hoping that his side build on their recent upturn.

Rice said: "Obviously the Hibs fans and players want to welcome the new manager with a win.

"Do they work harder than they have been? I don't know. Is it a mind thing? I don't know either but when new managers come in you get a reaction.

"The reaction I am looking for is not from Hibs, it is from Hamilton.

"We have set the bar with how we want to go against St Johnstone and we want to go beyond that.

"I don't want players to be in their comfort zone. I want to keep pushing them and pushing them."

Rice has enjoyed having some time to work with his players for the first time since his appointment and has been focusing on how to take three points from Edinburgh

"I have been working on how to beat Hibs," he said.

"Everything I do is game-related. I look at the team we are playing, I analyse them, I study them, look for their strengths and weaknesses and more importantly look at our strengths and weaknesses and try to improve every aspect of that.

"The players want to work, they want to listen, they want to learn, they are open to taking new ideas on and the response I have had has been magnificent.

"Hamilton have always been renowned for having grit, desire, determination and I want us to get back to that with a winning mentality, not losing 1-0 and being happy with that or settling for 0-0. I want us to go and win games.

"If we can combine all that together I will be happy."