Canning defends his pitch as Accies get ready to replace plastic with plastic

Hamilton are set to get a new pitch but manager Martin Canning believes their artificial surface compares favourably to some of the Ladbrokes Premiership’s grass parks.

Rangers midfielder Josh Windass claimed Hamilton’s pitch “has to go” after he netted a hat-trick in his side’s 5-3 win at the Superseal Stadium on Sunday.

Accies chairman Ronnie Macdonald told a supporters’ meeting this week that the club would be installing a new pitch this summer but it will be another artificial surface.

Canning said: “I don’t know what’s been said or not yet, but there is talk of that happening at the end of the season. While it’s here, I think it’s a true pitch, the ball moves true on it.

“When you go to some of the grass pitches we’ve gone to in the last few weeks, the pitches haven’t been great either.

“Some of the surfaces are poor, you don’t know what you are getting, you don’t know how the ball is going to bounce, whether it’s going to stick or not. I think our pitch is in good condition. It plays the same way every week.”

The defeat by Rangers meant Accies have lost all five of their games in 2018. Canning said it was always going to take time to adapt after selling Greg Docherty to Rangers and losing fellow midfielders Darian Mackinnon and Ali Crawford to knee injuries. “We have lost Greg, Darian and Ali from the team that beat Motherwell 3-1 at the end of December. If you take the midfield three out of anyone’s team and rebuild it, it’s not easy to do.”