Reid keeps players’ feet on the ground

Sep 6 2007 By Andy McGilvray

BILLY Reid this week insisted nobody at Hamilton will get carried away despite their remarkable start to the season.

Accies have now won all five league games, scoring 10 goals and conceding just one, and in total have won seven of their opening eight games, including Challenge Cup and CIS Cup matches.

One of their most impressive feats was dumping Partick Thistle 3-0 at Firhill on Saturday, maintaining their 100 per cent. record ahead of the international break.

But Reid said: “We’re not going to get carried away. We’ve had five wins but the hard work starts now because everybody will be looking at Hamilton Accies as a scalp to take. We’ve got to make sure we’re on our mettle.

“But I’m delighted to go to Firhill, dominate the game, score three goals and keep a clean sheet.

“We’re a team and we have some individuals that can win football matches — Richard Offiong showed that in the first half.

“I thought he was sensational from the first minute to the last, he never gave Thistle any peace, and he just keeps scoring goals — he’s scored 24 in about 35 games in an Accies jersey.

“We had a wee go in terms of work-rate and working for the team, but he’s an individual — the team has got to work round him and he’ll keep producing the goods.

“But throughout the team I think we’re solid as a unit and we have good legs and energy.

“For the first time since I came to the club I’ve got a wee bit of consistency in terms of team selection and we all know what we’re doing.

“The goalkeeper Bryn Halliwell has settled us down, and we’ve got experience in the right areas throughout the spine of the team.

“Mark McLaughlin, David Elebert and Chris Swailes are centre-backs who would grace any team in the league, James McCarthy was great and James McArthur was sensational, while we’ve got legs in wide areas through Tom Parratt and Brian Easton. James Gibson can come in and Paul McLeod can play on the right.

“We’ve got so many options just now and they’re all fit.

“And with people like Alex Neil and Mark McLaughlin round about them, the young lads can only go from strength to strength.”

Hamilton’s team spirit is also an essential part of their winning set-up, and Reid said: “Players fighting for each other is everything in a game of football. All successful teams have good players, but they’ve got to have a resilience about them and we’ve certainly got that.

“The squad players are frustrated at being on the bench, but they’re all coming on as subs and doing a job, and that’s healthy for me.”

Reid made failed offers for Berwick star Danny Swanson, St Johnstone midfielder Martin Hardie and “substantial bids for three Premier League players,” but insisted it’s difficult to bring in new stars who will make a difference.

He added: “We may bring in a couple of loan players but they’ve got to be better than what I’ve already got and that’s going to be quite hard.”

Reid was pleased with Monday’s CIS Cup third round draw, which handed Hamilton a home tie against SPL side Kilmarnock on September 25.

And he said: “It allows us to test ourselves at that level. Some of the younger lads have never had that experience so it will be good for them.

“I’d like everybody to get behind us in numbers, not just for the cup tie but in the league as well.

“Good vocal support can be important when you’re struggling to break teams down, and them getting behind us can give us a huge lift.”