Accies chief: Leading sides checking out our young players shows how far we’ve come!

Jan 4 2007

LES Gray insists he’s not surprised that Europe’s top clubs are spying on Hamilton’s young talent — because he says their youth set-up is one of Scotland’s finest.

Hamilton’s director of youth development is proud to see scouts from sides such as Manchester United, Barcelona, Arsenal and Liverpool sitting in the New Douglas Park stands.

Players like James McCarthy, Brian Easton, Tony Stevenson and James Gibson have broken through to Accies’ first team this season and are attracting attention.

But Gray says no-one is going anywhere unless it suits Accies.

Vice-chairman Gray said: “I’m very proud of our youth initiative and what we are seeing in our first team now is due to the hard work of everyone involved.

“It is a compliment to us — and shows the level that we have got to — when there are scouts from clubs in the Premiership and beyond coming to see our young kids.

“I have various people on the phone to me every week enquiring about our kids but my point of view on that is the same as it has always been — nobody is going anywhere unless it totally suits us.

“The interest shows that we must be doing something right, but it has been no quick thing.

“In total, we have been working on youth development from between seven and nine years now.

“But we’re really starting to see the fruits of that now, with a number of players involved in the first team who have come through our youth initiative.

“If they continue to develop, then we’ll go into next season with a squad of boys who have played for a year or more in the First Division.”