Longridge says he has to ‘man up’ and become a regular for Accies

Louis Longridge says it is time for him to “man up” and make himself a Hamilton regular.

The Accies attacker turned 26 in the summer but confesses some still see him as a promising youngster.

Now in his fifth year at the Superseal Stadium, he knows it is time he established himself as a senior member of Martin Canning’s first-team squad.

He said: “It’s a big season for me. My main goal at the start of the season was to become a mainstay in the team.

“I had a good pre-season and came back flying. I got off to a really good start.

“But then I found myself out of the team for tactical reasons. That’s what the manager told me, it was nothing to do with my performances he said. That can be frustrating but I just need to bide my time.

“I started last weekend and now I just want to rack up as many starts as I can.”

Longridge, pictured, added: “I’ve played in the Premiership for a number of years now but now it’s time for me to man up and make myself a regular in the team.

“I know that myself and that’s why I spoke to the gaffer during the summer. I put in a lot of hard work over the summer to make sure I’m fit enough for the demands of the game. “I feel I’m doing everything required, including extra sessions away from training and hopefully the manager sees that.” Accies host Rangers tonight in the Ibrox club’s first outing since last week’s Old Firm defeat.

Another loss would pile more pressure on under-fire Raners boss Pedro Caixinha but Longridge reckons it is best if his team ignore their opponents’ current troubles.

He said: “It could go either way – it just depends what kind of Rangers turn up. They had a disappointing result in the Old Firm and will be looking to bounce back.

“But at the same time that kind of game will have taken a lot out of them. We can’t really look too much to them. Instead we need to focus on ourselves.” Politics and football will merge on Sunday when Barcelona becomes more than just a football club for Catalonia’s separatists.

Barcelona’s home match against Las Palmas falls on the day when the region’s secessionist leaders have vowed to defy authorities and hold a disputed referendum on independence.

The Spanish government calls the vote illegal and has ordered a crackdown to stop any ballots from being cast, sparking protests in the streets. The dispute has increased tensions and Sunday’s match will be a focal point.

“It won’t be a normal day, it will be a historic day for the country, but we have to treat the football match like any other,” Barcelona vice president Jordi Cardoner said. “We will carry the Catalan flag’s colours on the collars of our shirts and in our hearts.”

Camp Nou has become a rallying point for Catalan nationalists in recent years with the boom in support for a break from Spain.

Spain’s King Felipe VI met with deafening jeers at Camp Nou at the final of the Copa del Rey in 2015, and the chants of “Independence!” that are a fixed feature of every Barca home match are set to be at maximum volume on Sunday.

“We are not uncomfortable with the date of the match. It’s an important day for Catalonia and the interests of Barca have to be compatible with the majority of Catalans,” Cardoner said.

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique called for calm. “From today until Sunday we will express ourselves pacifically,” Pique tweeted. “Don’t give them any excuse [for a crackdown]. That’s what they want. And sing loud and clear.”

Most of Barcelona’s players avoid talking about politics but former player and coach Pep Guardiola has led pro-independence rallies and is an outspoken proponent of Sunday’s vote. “This isn’t about independence, it’s about democracy,” Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, said in a video posted by a separatist group.