Forget talent or ability .. when you play at Accies you won’t get a game of football
PREMIERSHIP Fed-up Thistle star Barton slams the drastic plastic at Superseal Stadium IT’S ADAM DISGRACE Temps was too good to give it up
PARTICK THISTLE star Adam Barton has launched a scathing attack on Hamilton’s plastic pitch by branding it anti-football.
The Firhill playmaker believes the artificial surface at Accies forces teams to play a long-ball lottery which is ripping off the paying public.
Tuesday night’s dismal goalless draw between the Jags and the Lanarkshire club was hardly an advert for the merits of games on synthetic turf and Barton is adamant it’s not fit for purpose at professional level.
He said: “It would be nice to see something change about these pitches.
“No matter how much ability or talent you’ve got you have to forget about that when you go to Hamilton because you won’t get a game of football.
“We had to change our game completely to basically hook the ball forward – and that’s what it is when you go there.
“I’m surprised these pitches are allowed in top-flight football. It’s even little things like sliding on it as I ended up grazing my knees. I don’t understand it.
“I wouldn’t pay to go and watch a match on a pitch like that. I don’t think it’s football. It’s about who can have the best luck from a long ball, that’s all it is.”
Thistle followed their weekend win over Dundee with a point at Accies.
And Barton is convinced even champions Celtic have to alter their approach when playing on a pitch that doesn’t cater for teams who want to play the game properly.
The Englishman was unrepentant in his criticism and insists a point against Hamilton was a victory for a side trying to cope with artificial surface adversity.
He added: “It was a good point for us. We do feel we’ve dropped two but a point is better than none.
“It’s a difficult place because of the pitch. You never see teams passing out from the back and even if there are a couple of passes then the ball goes up.
“You can’t play four or five passes out from your own area. It doesn’t work like that.
“I’ll be interested to see Celtic play there. They’re still very good at what they do but even they will need to change in some ways.
“You have to concentrate on your first touch and you have less time to pick a pass. Everything is against you.
“For the teams that like to play and especially for myself who likes to drop off and get on the ball you can’t do it and I didn’t try it once. If I lost the ball as a result of a silly bobble they could go through and score. “Our midfield is there to try to get on the ball and keep us playing forward but we just had to try to win second balls and headers. “I actually felt we did it quite well considering that’s not our game so it shows we can adapt at times.” Thistle were denied a late penalty when Dougie Imrie handled a shot from Ryan Edwards. But Barton believes they didn’t get the rub of the green as he turned his attention to trying to get back-to-back wins at home when they host St Johnstone on Saturday.
He said: “We had a good result last weekend against Dundee but we weren’t able to build on it.
“We hope it wouldn’t stop our momentum and I don’t think it will. We’ve got a job and we are professional enough to deal with what’s put in front of us.
“We should have had a penalty when Ryan’s shot was handled but that’s football when you’re down at the bottom.” MARTIN CANNING says it would have been a tragedy if David Templeton had been allowed to fall out of football.
Now the Accies boss believes the former Hearts and Rangers star is on the verge of repaying the faith Hamilton showed in him after two years of frustration.
For a spell Templeton was one of Scotland’s most exciting young wingers – scoring against Liverpool in a European game for Hearts before joining Gers.
But injuries marred his four years at Ibrox and when he was released in May 2016 he spent more than a year finding another club.
A mystery knee problem spooked clubs including Raith Rovers, Vancouver and Dundee United and he considered retiring.
But Hamilton boss Canning was brave enough to take a chance by bringing the 28-year-old in from the cold in March – and believes he’s regaining his old magic.
Having recovered from a broken foot suffered against the Jambos last month, Templeton has featured in Accies’ last two games.
He said: “It would have been a tragedy if Temps had been lost to the game.
“When he came to us before the end of last season we decided to give him a chance but we weren’t sure whether he’d play.
“I don’t think he could put his finger on why his knee was giving him so much pain but since he’s had that fixed he’s gone from strength to strength. It was a gamble worth taking.”
Canning also believes Antonio Rojano is ready to make his mark on the Premiership after finally cutting free of the red tape.
The Argentine moved in August but was only cleared to play two weeks ago after a wait for a work permit.
Canning said: “It’s actually been a blessing for Antonio himself. It’s given him time to settle in without having the spotlight of playing.”
We had to change our game to basically just hook the ball forward ADAM BARTON