A dash of belief lets Docherty mix it with best
BELIEVE you belong with the best. Adopting that mindset can be the key, Martin Canning argues, to Greg Docherty fulfilling his potential with full Scotland recognition in the years ahead.
The 20-year-old midfielder this week signed a contract extension with Hamilton until 2020, widening the smiles that exist around the club right now. Docherty was central to last weekend’s impressive 3-1 success over Hibernian — a second Premiership win in three for Accies — with a display of power and finesse that outshone more feted rivals.
Canning has huge faith in the quality of a young player he has watched grow through the youth ranks in Lanarkshire.
He now wants Docherty to feel the same about himself over the duration of his new deal.
‘Greg is an important player for us and he has been fantastic recently for such a young guy,’ said Canning.
‘He was good in the first half against Hibs but without fully believing he was better than the lad he was playing against.
‘I felt that, after a half-time pep talk, he came out with something to prove — he was powerful, he was strong, he was running behind their defenders and he was showing everything that’s good in his game.
‘During my team talk before that match, I mentioned to Greg that he’d be directly against John McGinn, who’s a very good player.
‘Greg’s been involved with the Scotland Under-21 side while John’s been in the full squad and I told him that, if he wants to get there too, then he has to want to be better than these guys.
‘That’s still a way off for Greg — I’m not talking about next week. But that’s the way he needs to think for the next two, three or four years if he’s going to get there, however long that may take. Hopefully he can go and push himself to the next level.’
The message is one Docherty is happy to take on board.
‘I would agree with the manager that I’m maybe not always as confident within myself as I should be,’ he admitted.
‘I’m at that stage now that I know I’ve got the belief of my team-mates, so I can maybe go and express myself that little bit more and establish myself. I want to add goals and a few more assists in the final third, which is what I did coming through the youth levels. That’s what I want to bring as a midfielder.’ Docherty was drafted into the Scotland Under-21 set-up last September, making his debut in a defeat to Iceland the following month. There is, however, something of a thorny history when it comes to Hamilton’s youth system being recognised at international level. Tardiness in identifying the quality of James McCarthy is often cited as one reason the Castlemilk-born midfielder was lost to the Republic of Ireland. ‘All we can do is continue to bring young players into our first team and, if they get international recognition, that’s fantastic,’ said Canning, who had five academy graduates involved against Hibs.
‘If they don’t then, as long as they’re producing for us on the pitch, we’ll be quite happy.
‘We can’t influence other people’s decision-making and say that Greg is better than one guy and Scott McMann is better than another.
‘Sometimes you look at squads and think we should have more representation but football is all about opinions and you’ll never agree on everything.
‘It’s up to the guy who’s picking the teams to make his decisions. Obviously, I’m biased towards my players because I see their qualities on a daily basis but others only see them fleetingly.’
This core of home-nurtured youngsters is augmented by imports from various nations. Two Englishmen, two Greeks and a Frenchman helped see off Hibs, following up the previous weekend’s win over Dundee.
They have now been joined by an Argentinian striker in Antonio Rojano. The 26-year-old, most recently with Real Potosi in Bolivia, has signed a two-year contract subject to international clearance.
‘We’ve been working on this deal for pretty much the whole summer and it hasn’t been an easy one to get done,’ added Canning.
‘He’s different to what we have, which is what I’d been looking for. Antonio is busy, he’s alive in the box — the type of poacher I’m hoping will get us the goals we don’t normally get.
‘If I can add another striker with more of a physical presence then I think our squad will be fine.
‘The depth is decent and we’re just adding quality.’