GIANT strides
Player, captain and now boss, Canning reflects on Accies’ decade of progress
For us to have been in the top flight so long is just fantastic
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008. Katy Perry’s I Kissed
A Girl was top of the UK Singles Chart and cult-classic comedy Step Brothers was the No1 film in cinemas.
Martin Canning’s arrival as a player at Hamilton Academical that same day might not have captured similar attention, but it certainly proved significant for the Lanarkshire club.
Ten years down the line he’s still there, having transformed himself from stalwart defender and captain to player-manager and now manager.
Currently the third longest-serving boss in the Premiership behind Derek McInnes and Tommy Wright, he has seen historic progress on his watch.
‘I’ve loved every minute of it,’ said Canning yesterday as he reflected on a decade of service at New Douglas Park. ‘The club’s a big part of my life.
‘My debut sticks out for sure. It was away to Aberdeen, we won 2-1. Can’t quite believe that was ten years ago. Another would be the Hibs game where we got promoted in the play-off final at Easter Road (in 2014). It was a special day for everyone connected to the club.
‘Of the ten years I’ve been here, we’ve only spent two or three years in the Championship. To have been in the top flight for the other seven or eight, that’s fantastic.
Canning’s impressive rise at Hamilton has mirrored that of a club who, against all odds and despite regular criticism of their playing style and artificial pitch, have become a top-flight mainstay.
Canning, 36, who took over as full-time boss after Alex Neil’s departure in 2015, has now taken charge of 158 games. The club have spent five consecutive seasons in the Premiership and he sees no reason why they can’t continue that impressive sequence. ‘There’s pressure the same as any job but, ultimately, you’ve got to work hard to keep this club in the league,’ said Canning. ‘I can’t afford to let up, it’s not a case of: “Your job’s fine, you’ll be okay”. You’ve got to do the right things to help the club move forward.’ Times have changed from when managers were given a chance to mould a team. Scottish football has already seen its first managerial sacking of the season, with Paul Hartley leaving Falkirk after they lost their first three Championship games.
If Canning is bucking the trend, it also says a lot about the philosophy of Hamilton that they have given him a certain amount of leeway and supported him when things haven’t been going well.
‘My initial spell didn’t start as well as I would have liked, on the back of Alex leaving,’ he admitted. ‘The team were flying high at that time, so there was a bit of a dip. That maybe proves the stability of the club and the trust of ownership that they have.
‘It used to be managers would get four or five years to try and put their stamp on things and build the club. Now you’ve probably got about six months and if you don’t do well in that period you could be in big trouble. That’s evident across Scotland and England.’
Another key area of Hamilton’s philosophy is the desire to develop players through their academy.
It has proven to be a success, with the likes of Lewis Ferguson — who made a controversial switch to Aberdeen earlier this year — and Ronan Hughes among those to have recently made the first team.
Canning said: ‘I’d rather fill my squad with the good young players coming through than journeymen who are only here to fill a gap for a year or take a wage.
‘I’d rather my kids got first-team experience. There are points when you need to give them more time, but we’ve got a good balance this season.’