EXCLUSIVE

BY SCOTT BURNS

BRIGHTON have made a move to land Jamie Hamilton with the talented Accies defender down training with the Premier League side this week.

Rivals Burnley and Everton are also watching the 17-year-old closely with two Bundesliga sides also asking to take a look at Hamilton but Accies have knocked them back.

Hamilton is not on trial with the Seagulls but they want to see the Scotland Under-19 international in their own environment.

Accies only agreed to the move because they have close links with Brighton.

Their former boss Billy Reid is assistant manager there and head of loans Davie Weir is also a friend of manager Brian Rice.

“I’ve taken a step back from the day-to-day side as it needs focus. I’m not at the club day to day, I’m not an employee. I have several day jobs.”

Despite Tommy Wright’s in-form side pushing for the top six and facing Celtic in a cup quarter-final on Sunday, construction company boss Brown says Saints are braced for “heavy losses”.

He warns they will have to dip into their £2million-plus war chest to balance the books.

And the one-time SPL board member says the financial picture has been blurred by betting firms Ladbrokes and

William Hill ending their sponsorship packages.

Brown said: “I still get the same buzz but it’s the same problems as eight years ago. It’s challenging, especially financially.

“Look at England and the billion-pound TV deals. Unfortunately that percolates north. With Rangers and Celtic, it’s like an arms race.

“That’s put all the wages up and we are in an inflated market. It would be fair to say the wage levels probably don’t relate to the skill level of a player.

“But you’ve no choice. If you want that particular player

STEVE BROWN

will be hitting them in a big way, posting heavy losses which is not clever as a businessman.

“We are in danger of being called hypocrites because we have been fairly outspoken in terms of living within your