Sympathetic Rice knows what it’s like to have a heart scare
Hamilton boss Brian Rice says he is just as happy as Hibernian to see Scott Allan back after revealing his own heart scare.
Rice, whose team head to
Easter Road this afternoon on Premiership duty, went through his own health ordeal back in 2002. He was part of the Airdrie coaching team when he collapsed at St Mirren's Love Street ground during a match and had to be rushed to hospital.
Rice went on to make a full recovery but knows exactly how Allan must have felt over these past few months. He said: "I'm delighted to see Scott Allan is back involved in the Hibs squad. He's had a horrendous time, the lad. To see him back gives everyone a boost."
Rice added: "All the heart screening is done through the SFA these days. I know from personal experience how important that is. I took unwell at a game many, many years ago.
"I had a heart problem and had to get a stent put in. That was a real shock to the system. But I am just grateful that's all it was."
Aberdeen defender Ross Mccrorie admits he would be happy to win ugly when they face Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.
Both sides meet at Pittodrie this afternoon needing to address their current form, with the hosts fourth in the table but without a win in their last six outings. Kilmarnock are also struggling of late, their 1-0 loss to runaway leaders Rangers their seventh in a row.
Mccrorie scored the only goal of the game when the teams met back in September but would now be pleased with a scrappy victory to get the Dons firing again.
"I would take any win, to be fair," he said. "It is the same for any player. You just want to win, even if it isn't pretty. I just want the three points. Even if I have a stinker of a game and we win, I'd be happy. I don't think there is any getting away from the situation we are in. It is a sticky patch but I think most teams have gone through it. Celtic have been through it recently.
"We will keep working away and ploughing away and the success will come. I don't think our performances have been extremely bad, it is just small details we need to tidy up on."
Mccrorie joined Aberdeen on loan from Rangers at the start of the season before making the move permanent earlier this month. The 22-yearold insists recent results have not knocked the confidence of the Aberdeen players and any criticism must be used as a positive in the quest to return to winning ways.
"I think there is massive belief. You look at the players we have in this team, we have all sorts of internationals, to be fair, extremely talented. We have always had that belief that we are a good team and you can't get away from that if you see the standard of player we have.”