It’s safety first for in-demand Gordon
● Hamilton full-back looks set for Bucharest switch but he’s focused on avoiding relegation
Hamilton Acci es full-backZiggy Gordon looks set to quit the club this summer for a move to Romanian side Dinamo Bucharest but he still has unfinished business in Lanarkshire.
Hamilton are only one point better off than St Mirr en going into their final league game of the season against St Johnstone on Saturday and need to at least match whatever result Saints get at Dens Park in order to secure their place in the top flight and avoid a relegation play-off.
Out of contract at the end of the season, Gordon looks set to formalise a move to Bucharest who were twice rebuffed in the January window when they moved for the 26 -yearold. But he is keen to leave a farewell gift of a sixth successive Premier League spot before he goes.
“I don’t think it is fair on the gaffer or the fans or on the players who work so hard for myself to take any attention from this weekend ,” said G ordon, pictured. “I hope my future is secured sooner rather than later but I am not the priority right now.
“I have got pride. I have been at this club since I was ten years old and I don’ t want relegation on my CV. The boys don’t deserve it. The gaffer doesn’t deserve it, we don’t deserve it. We know what we need to do. It is clear as day – we need to show up, we need to give 100 percent effort, look for a wee bit of luck and take our chances when we get them and defend with our lives. Simple.” News will almost certainly filter through of what is taking place between St Mirren and already re lega ted Dundee but Gordon has dismissed the suggestion that it will be all about who handles the nerves better on the final day.
“We need to go and win the game, end of story ,” he said. “We need to go out against a good St Johnstone team and win the game. So there are no nerves. When you need to win the game then you know what you need to do. We need a result. We do that then next week we can go on holiday and go and enjoy ourselves.
“Look, we are one point ahead with one game to go. If you asked me at the start of the season if I would have taken that scenario then, yes, of course I would.”
While Accies might be better off mathematically, mentally St Mirren look like they have the bit between their teeth.
Undefeated since the split, Oran Kearney’ steam have momentum on their side as they prepare for the final game of the season. It is a run of results that is in sharp contrast to their woeful form around the turn of the year – in a run of nine league games they lost eight of them to place them precariously at the wrong end of the table–with defender Paul Mcginn confident that St Mirren are capable of one final big result.
Dundee’s fate is sealed, not that he expects any favours at Dens.
“I used to play with James Mcpake so I know he will get a reaction out of Dundee,” said the 28-year-old. “They are clearly not just packing up for the summer. We just concentrate on that and we do we know St Johnstone are a good team who are also hard to beat. We’ll just try to make it as difficult for Hamilton as possible.
“I’d imagine there will be St Johnstone players playing for places. No one wants to lose a game. Staying up would be massive. It’s a club which should be here. The training ground is excellent, the stadium is excellent, the pitch is good. We certainly don’t want to be a yo-yo team any more.”