Neil hails Canning for his work in keeping Hamilton among the elite
Former Hamilton manager Alex Neil feels the club’s fouryear stint in Scotland’s top flight is a great achievement believes his successor Martin Canning deserves credit for consistently keeping the club up.
Accies know a home victory over St Johnstone tonight will secure their Ladbrokes Premiership status for a fifth consecutive season, given their three-point and 13-goal advantage over Partick Thistle.
Neil, now manager of Preston, left Hamilton for Norwich in January 2015 with the club in the top six after guiding them to promotion months earlier, and he appreciates Canning had a difficult job to rebuild amid greater expectations. Neil, who was back at the Superseal Stadium to open a Cruyff Court pitch in his name, said: “Every season when it starts, your first job is to keep the club in the league, it’s as simple as that.
“Anything over and above that, you want to build a stronger squad, give more kids an opportunity and try and work your way up the league.
“To still be in this league is a great achievement, it’s a postwar record. And the difficulty Martin’s got, when you do well, expectancy then follows.
“When I left we were on the crest of a wave and unfortunately they haven’t hit those heights since then, but he’s had a hell of a lot to contend with in terms of player rotation and giving kids a chance.
“And the way Hamilton is as a club, you will have cycles. Because when you are giving kids a chance and they move on, you are then bringing the next kids through. I hope they get a good batch coming through soon and that can hopefully give them a solid foundation.”