HERE WE GO
Canning says Accies can’t wait
Defiant Martin Canning says Hamilton Accies are gunning for Hearts in their season opener on Saturday – to make up for their Betfred Cup disappointment.
Craig Levein brings his side to the HOPECBD Stadium on Saturday on the back of a 5-0 win over Inverness that saw them progress in the competition, while Accies limped out on Saturday following a draw with Airdrie, although Hamilton took the bonus point from a penalty shoot-out win.
Canning hopes Accies can get their league campaign off to a good start, and use it as a platform to climb the table.
He said: “Hearts are a good side, they have good players, but so do we.
“It’s the first game of the season, it will be a good crowd, the atmosphere will be good, and it’s a game we’re looking forward to.
“We’re ready to go, everybody’s ready, and we know the importance of the game.
“We were disappointed with the way the Betfred Cup went, obviously, but now we have an opportunity to bounce back and put that right, and we have to make sure we do that.
“We know we’re up against a strong Hearts side, but it’s a game for us where if we do things right and we’re well prepared, it’s an opportunity to take points.”
Canning added: “It’s the start of a new season, and I know all too well that seasons tick away quickly, so I’d say to the players not to have any regrets. Let’s give it our all this season and try to make sure we achieve our goals.
“We want to try and push up the table rather than fighting down at the bottom. This year there has been a big turn-around of players and there will be a settling in period.
“But for us as a club, as a staff and a squad, we have ambitions to push up the league. We know it’s a competitive league, it’s a tough league, but for us our ambitions are to finish as high as we can.”
Canning said again that he still wants to strengthen his squad and is working hard behind the scenes, but he acknowledges that he’s in the same market as bigger clubs.
He said: “We’re still working away to try and bring in the two or three, or even four, that will add competition, maybe give us a little bit more experience as well, but these guys are the hard guys to get.
“We’re working hard, we’re speaking to people at the minute.
“Some things come off, some things don’t, and we’ll keep working. Hopefully by the end of the window we will have a couple more in.”
Captain Darian Mackinnon clocks up his 200th start for Hamilton in Saturday’s game and Canning said: “Darian has been fantastic, given where he came from, going from Junior football to the Championship at the time and now obviously playing a lot of games in the Premier League. It has been a great rise for him.”