Hamilton defender Scott McMann believes they can build on their improved weekend performance and end their losing streak when they face Aberdeen.

Accies suffered a fifth-successive defeat on Saturday when they lost 2-1 against Dundee United at Tannadice.

But they led until United scored two late goals and then Ross Callachan missed a penalty after earlier putting Hamilton ahead.

After conceding 17 goals in three Scottish Premiership matches and losing to League Two Stranraer in the Betfred Cup, head coach Brian Rice employed a new three-man central defence with versatile defender Hakeem Odoffin in central midfield.

And McMann felt far more comfortable in the new set-up.

"Over the past month or six weeks it's not been good enough and I think on Saturday it was vastly improved from what it has been," he said. "We looked a lot more organised.

"We were obviously devastated to get beat the way we did but we were encouraged going into Wednesday.

"It's the first time in a few weeks we have felt during a game we have been solid and can go and win the game, so hopefully it can be the turning point for us.

"Naturally we have been a bit down the past couple of weeks but that seems to have flipped a little bit and the mentality is a bit more positive now.

"We deserve some of the criticism we have been getting, we have not been good enough. But you saw on Saturday there was improvement there and hopefully we can take that into Wednesday and get a result. It's a massive game."

McMann got down the left wing to cross for Callachan to open the scoring and believes there is scope to attack the Dons on Wednesday despite the more defence-minded approach.

"It was a good game to play in," he said. "Recently we have not been giving ourselves a chance to get into the game and before you know it we are a few goals down, so it was nice to be in an end-to-end game and have a go.

"What we had to do first and foremost is stop goals going in because that's been a problem.

"We have been scoring so being a bit more solid was key, but we still have plenty of attacking threats and we showed that at the weekend."