Skipper wants a crack at top flight

Mar 29 2007 By Andy McGilvray

CAPTAIN Alex Neil is determined that Hamilton will push for promotion next season — because he wants the club to match his own ambitions.

Neil (25), wants a crack at SPL football with Accies and doesn’t want the New Douglas Park side to settle for a mid-table First Division slot.

He said: “When you look at the start of the season — especially the Gretna game — and the amount of young lads we’ve got playing in the team for the first time, I think we’ve done really well.

“But you want to be challenging, so I think the experience the young lads have gained this year will stand them in good stead next season and, hopefully, we can kick on.

“It’s important for us to try and get promotion — that’s why I’m here, to try to win the league.

“I don’t want to be mediocre and stay in the middle of the First Division, and I know that’s not the club’s ambition either.

“I hope that next year we can kick on and make a real challenge.

“It will be a tough league, but in the first season that I came back up to Scotland there were teams like St Mirren and St Johnstone, and Dundee had just come down from the SPL.

“That was a tough season with some good teams, and I think next year will be just as hard.

“I think the First Division is always a difficult league, and not many teams run away with it; on their day, every team can beat any other.

“We just need to make sure that we’re nearer the top end next season.”

Hamilton’s ambition this season is for a good finish, and that continues with a visit by Ross County on Saturday, before Tuesday’s trip to Queen of the South.

Alex is suspended for Saturday’s clash with Scott Leitch’s side, but will be urging his team-mates on from the New Douglas Park main stand.

He said: “It was a big disappointment for us up there on March 13 when we lost 4-1, and we just didn’t get started for the first half-an-hour.

“We played better in the second half, but the game was already dead by then.

“We let ourselves down and obviously anybody who travelled up to watch the game, and that hasn’t happened too often this season — Gretna away on the opening day of the season is the only other one that springs to mind.

“But we’ll be looking to make that right on Saturday, and the frustrating thing is that I’ll have to sit and watch.

“There’s nothing worse, especially when you’re fit.

“It was hard for me to have to watch our last game against Partick Thistle — it was a great result, but you want to be involved.

“The lads did brilliantly and, hopefully, they won’t miss me on Saturday, and win the game.

“I’ll be kicking and heading every ball, shouting from the stands, and trying to encourage the lads to win the three points.”

Midfield ace Neil is available for the trip to Palmerston Park on Tuesday, and admits he can’t wait to get started again.

Ambitious Neil also revealed that he’s looking far beyond next season, and has turned his attention to coaching by going for the SFA ‘B’ licence qualification.

And he said: “It was a good opportunity to go and do the ‘B’ licence, so I thought I would get it done just now while I’m still playing.

“Coaching is something to think about in the future, because you never know what’s going to happen.

“It’s better to get it under my belt while I’ve got time, because when I’m not playing anymore I might have to be working 9-5 or whatever.

“That was the first part of the licence, we’ve got another week in September or October, and once that’s done I’ll hopefully try to get my ‘A’ badge as well.

“Coaching is a consideration because when you’re involved in football you always want to be.

“I’ve been a pro since I was aged 16, I’ve never known anything else, and it scares me to think that at some stage I’m not going to be needed anymore.

“I’m going for my badges just now so that when I do stop playing, I have the qualifications that allow me to step in and do a job.”