HUNT ON FOR NEW TALENT
Rice looks to bolster squad during transfer window
Hamilton Accies boss Brian Rice will be looking to step up his player hunt during the January transfer window after losing at least one key player.
Goalkeeper Luke Southwood was recalled by Reading and placed on the bench for their FA Cup tie at the weekend. It is believed that Accies are in negotiations to bring him back for another six months.
Defender Sam Stubbs has been recalled by Middlesbrough and sent out to Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag, where former Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has recently taken the hot seat.
Defender Leon Mccann has been released and has signed for Airdrie, where he was out on loan, while Charlie Reilly has returned to
Accies from Broomfield to continue rehabilitation on an ankle injury.
Jack Breen has had his loan extended by six months at Albion Rovers, while George Stanger will end his stint at East Kilbride and head to Forfar Athletic on loan.
Striker Korede Adedoyin has returned to parent club Everton, having never featured for Accies’ first team, and German midfielder Adrian Beck is likely to return to Belgian side Union Saint-gilloise, from whom he is on loan.
Players are likely to go out on loan, but that will depend on recruitment.
After the win over Motherwell on December 29, Rice said he’s looking to bring in “one, possibly two” players, but his plans will probably now have changed.
Rice did point out, though, that a series of players returning from injury will make him feel like he has a new squad.
He said: “I brought a large number of players in during the summer, I’ve had quite a few injuries, three or four of them haven’t really played that often, so it still feels like a new squad to me.
“It’s a good group I’ve got. Their work ethic is incredible. I might moan about other things, but I can assure anybody that supports Hamilton Accies that no club works as hard as these boys work.”
Speculation will inevitably link kids like Jamie Hamilton and Lewis Smith with moves, but Rice says that will be a mark of success for him and Academy head George Cairns.
He said: “That’s what we’re all about here at Hamilton, to produce, develop and eventually sell players on and reap the rewards of that. That’s our DNA.”