Rice thanks Accies board for delivering new Easton contract
Hamilton boss Brian Rice thanked the club's board after captain Brian Easton signed a new one-year contract.
The 33-year-old defender will remain at the Lanarkshire outfit until at least the end of next season.
Easton, an Accies academy graduate, has made 175 appearances for Hamilton across three spells, the most recent of which began in 2019 when he signed from St
Johnstone having previously also played for Burnley and Dundee.
Ahead of the trip to Livingston today, Rice said: "Brian is a fantastic professional to have in the squad. Every training session he sets a high standard and this season he has been a fantastic leader on the pitch.
"Coming through here he understands the values and the ethos of the club and I’d like to thank the board for their efforts to keep him here."
Easton said: "I am absolutely delighted to get this done. I love this club and for me there was never any doubt about
where I see my future. This season has been challenging but I think we are in a good place just now.”
At his media conference earlier yesterday, Rice had revealed the season is over for injured duo Andy Winter and Shaun Want.
Attacker Winter picked up a cartilage injury in the warmup before the goalless draw against Aberdeen last week and could require an operation, while defender Want out since October with a thigh injury - will start looking to next season for his comeback.
Rice said: "Andy Winter's is serious. Worst-case scenario he needs an operation. He needs to get something done to it, we are not sure of the timescale but Andy's season is done. Shaun Want's season is done, he has seen a specialist as well, so he needs to start preparing for pre-season.
"Brian Easton got a scan (knee), we’re going to see how he is. He’s not trained since the match last Saturday. Nathan Thomas won't figure, he’ll be out for a while. He injured the ankle he hurt previously in his first game back, and we know Marios Ogkmpoe is out. Lewis Smith is still not training and it will be next season before David Templeton is back, so we don't have our problems to seek but we have 17 or 18 bodies all ready to go."
Confusion last night surrounded the future of Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, who is widely expected to leave his role at Bramall Lane.
It is understood an announcement to confirm the 53-year-old had been relieved of his duties was planned for yesterdayafternoon.however, as of late last night there had been no public club comment.
The Blades cancelled their Friday morning press conference with a player, amid reports Wilder was set to be sacked, with the boss scheduled to face journalists via Zoom in the afternoon.
That media duty, scheduled for 1.30pm, was then rescheduled to 5pm, before the club announced shortly before it was due to start that it had been cancelled “due to circumstances beyond our control”.
One report suggested former Hibs manager Paul Heckingbottom – the club’s under-23 coach – was standing by to take temporary charge.
Tensions between Wilder and club owner Abdullah Bin Musa'ad Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have heightened recently, with Wilder last week stating he did not know if he would still be in charge next season, despite confirming he wanted to remain at Bramall Lane, if the board and owners “stick to the plan”.
Some reports suggest there have been clashes with ownership over plans to appoint a director of football, with Prince Abdullah feeling Wilder’s recruitment record has been below par.
Wilder's team have endured a miserable run of form this season. The Blades have lost 22 of their 28 Premier League matches and are bottom of the table with only 14 points.