Captain Neil thrilled to lead Accies in SPL

Jun 12 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON captain Alex Neil will lead his side into the SPL with absolutely no fears about them pitting their wits against Scotland’s elite.

Rather than being apprehensive, the 26-year-old says there’s an overwhelming feeling of excitement, and reckons everybody will rush to see when they’re facing the Old Firm when the fixtures are released on Monday.

The midfield ace said: “Everybody is just over the moon to be going up to the SPL, because we know what it means to the club and we know we’re going to get to go to places like Ibrox and Celtic Park.

“Going to places like Celtic Park and Ibrox is exciting – it’s a chance for us to pit our wits against the best players in Scotland and see where we stand.

“But we’re not going to be scared... we’re going to go up and give it our best shot and see what happens.

“We’re going from playing in front of a couple of thousand people to potentially 50,000-60,000, but at the end of the day it’s a football match. They’ll have 11 players on the park, the same as us, and we’ll be trying to beat each other.

“But the arena itself is going to be outstanding. You watch the games on TV and the whole thing is brilliant – you’re in this game for an opportunity like that.

“I’m sure that as soon as the fixtures come out Rangers and Celtic will be the two everybody will be looking for.”

Neil also hopes to renew some old acquaintances when he takes his bow in the top flight.

He explained: “I know quite a lot about the SPL, because I watch highlights on Scotsport, and things like that, and I have a few friends who play in the Premier League as well, so I speak to them and they tell me what it’s like.

“They’re all really happy that we’ve gone up. My big mate Martin Canning is at Hibs just now, and he’s delighted that we’ve gone up because it means we can play against each other.

“We went to school together and we’ve been mates since we were young, so I’ll be looking forward to playing against Hibs next season.”

With the dust now settled on a victorious First Division campaign, it has hit home to Neil just what the current squad have achieved.

Winning the First Division title for the first time in 20 years is good enough, but to do so with a team full of kids, after being written off from the start, is remarkable.

And he said: “With the team we’ve got I think it’s a phenomenal achievement.

“We’ve got quality but it’s the youth side of it that is remarkable – just look at how many young players we’ve got in the team.

“But as soon as I came to Hamilton I knew the club was going to go somewhere.

“That’s why I said I would stay here and take us to the Premier League.

“I knew it was going to happen, it was inevitable with the gaffer, Billy Reid, and the chairman, Ronnie MacDonald, in charge. We’re now reaping the fruits of that.

“Being First Division champions has made our summer and made the whole season and all the hard work we’ve put in totally worthwhile – it really is the icing on the cake. If we hadn’t gone up to the SPL it would have been a massive blow, after such a good season.”

Neil admitted that lifting the famous old trophy was an outstanding feeling, but said he was overjoyed rather than emotional.

He said: “Lifting the trophy in front of nearly 5000 people was brilliant and they gave us an amazing reception, but it was for the fans.

“I wasn’t really emotional on the day because I’m not a teary-eyed type of person. I’m more a jump-about-mad type of person and it was just sheer excitement and adrenaline.

“I was absolutely over the moon, especially having all the lads behind me, just waiting for me to lift the trophy.

“This really is for the whole club, for the whole of Hamilton, and it is brilliant.

“After we won the league we went round the fans to see them and get them involved, because we’re doing this for them – it’s their club.

“We’re hungry players here and don’t get me wrong, it’s probably the most tight-knit squad I’ve ever been involved in.

“But at the end of the day nothing we do is just for ourselves, it’s also for the fans.”