Accies captain, Alex Neil cant wait for his big return

Oct 15 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON captain Alex Neil admits he’s desperate to get back in action... but won’t come back until he’s ready.

And the midfield ace reckons the New Douglas Park clash against Celtic on October 25 might come too soon for him.

This is the longest spell Neil has spent on the sidelines during his career and frustration is an issue for the 28-year-old, who hasn’t played since Accies won at St Mirren Park on the final day of last season.

He said: “I’m hoping I’m going to be back soon. I’m working hard in rehab and it’s a lengthy process, but this is something that you can’t rush.

“It changes day by day – some days you wake up feeling fine, and on others you don’t.

“And it’s been a long time since I last played – I haven’t been involved since the St Mirren game on the last day of last season.”

Neil, who underwent hip surgery in the summer, added: “I was hoping to be back for the Celtic game but that’s looking increasingly sketchy and I’m not going to come back any sooner than I should.

“There’s a period of four games after that where we play St Mirren, Motherwell, Falkirk and St Johnstone and I think they are more important anyway, so I would love to get involved in those.

“Don’t get me wrong, Celtic is a big, big game, but games against the teams round about you in the league are by far the more important, and it’s teams like those that we have to beat.”

Neil isn’t a happy spectator and admits he hates having to watch Hamilton go through the sticky spell they’re currently enduring.

He said: “This is the longest I’ve been out, certainly since I’ve been at Hamilton.

“I think this is my fifth year and injuries have been good to me – touch wood.

“This is the longest I’ve been out since I broke my foot, but that was about 10 years ago.

“There’s nothing worse than having to sit on the sidelines and watch, especially since Hamilton have been having a hard time of it, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

“It’s frustrating for me because I aim to play in any game we play, and I want to get back in the team.

“As soon as I’m nearly up to full fitness I’ll be putting myself up for selection.”

Having watched Hamilton take just four points from their opening seven games, Neil knows his side are not in a great position, but he’s confident that they can turn their fortunes around.

A tough game beckons against Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday, but Neil feels Accies can take something from Tayside.

He said: “The lads are going out there and trying their best but it just isn’t happening, and I don’t think they’re getting the rub of the green, with suspensions and injuries and things like that.

“The lads know what they’ve got to do, though.

“We’re second-bottom oft he SPL and we haven’t been playing well. We need to put in a performance, first and foremost, and try to take something from the game.

“We had a great record against Dundee United last season and there’s no reason why we can’t take something from the game.

“A lot of big players are out at the moment and have been over the last few weeks, but that was the case last season and we did OK.

“We need to go out there and have a bit more belief in ourselves, but I’m quite confident that we can turn it around.”