Former Man Utd striker joins Accies

Apr 2 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON boss Billy Reid this week spoke of his delight after signing former Manchester United striker Chris Fagan until the end of this season.

Accies have also captured Ghana striker Derek Asamoah on a similar deal following his release by French League 1 side OGC Nice, although at the time of going to press the club was still waiting on clearance from the French Football Federation.

Asamoah was signed before the deadline on Tuesday, but until clearance comes through from the FFF Hamilton can’t register the 27-year-old with the SFA and SPL.

Fagan (19) has some pedigree, having been on the books at Old Trafford a few years ago, and the striker took part in Republic of Ireland’s under-21 European Championships double-header against Spain and Turkey on Friday and Tuesday.

Billy Reid rates both players highly and said: “Chris was at Manchester United for three years and Derek was with Nice in the top division in France.

“Chris is only a young lad at 19; he doesn’t have any experience but we’ve been through that before and it’s what this club is all about.

“We’ll have a look at him, he has an opportunity to look at us and we’ll see where it leaves us, but he certainly has potential.

“We’re hopeful of having Derek available, but the French FA have left us in limbo at the moment and we need to wait and see.

“He has been capped for Ghana a few times so he certainly has pedigree and scored goals in the lower leagues in England.

“He’s a direct winger-striker and he’s small but strong.”

Reid has already started rebuilding for next season and has his eye on several targets.

He said: “I’ve been taking in games. I was at a game down south on Saturday and we’re already looking to strengthen for next season.

“But the big concern at the moment is making sure that our season stays on track.

“We’ve stuttered a wee bit. There are different reasons for that but the spirit is still there and we just need a wee break at the moment. Once we get that we’ll be fine.”

Having enjoyed a break in Marbella last week, Reid says Accies can’t wait to take on champions Celtic at Celtic Park on Saturday.

He said: “We went to Spain without any training gear, the players let their hair down and played a lot of golf. We just enjoyed the break.

“I think the players needed the break. I’m hoping we’ll see the benefit of it and we had a couple of days off when we came back as well.

“We came in on Sunday and this is us building up to the Celtic game.

“We’ve been there already this season and we were turned over convincingly 4-0, so we hope we’re going to learn from that.

“It’s a big stage, a great crowd, and it’s a game we’re all looking forward to because we’ve had a wee break and I think it’s an ideal game to get back into.

“I want our players to go out at Celtic Park and take responsibility on the ball.

“When you’re playing Rangers or Celtic, particularly on their own patch, you’ve got to have your fair share of possession, and that’s what young players are always told at this club.

“At the back you’ve got to make sure you don’t give too much away, and if we do that then the crowd can get frustrated.

“Celtic and Rangers are fighting for a big prize, but we don’t want to be pushovers.”

Reid hopes the break in Spain will work wonders for his casualty list.

He said: “We were tired. We had a few niggles and people were carrying injuries, and the time off has helped them recover.

“We’ll assess everybody before Saturday but David Elebert, Mark Corcoran and Richard Offiong will be out.

“Trent McClenahan played in the reserves on Tuesday just to assess him, and James McArthur and Martin Canning are both carrying a wee problem.

“Simon Mensing and Tomas Cerny are suspended, and Paul McGowan is unable to play due to his loan agreement from Celtic, so when you count that there are quite a few players out.

“But everybody who is fit is in contention and I will put out the strongest team that I can and try to get the result.”

Reid added: “Sean Murdoch will be in goals on Saturday and we don’t have a problem with that. When I brought him to the club I thought it would have been close between Tomas and Sean to see who the number one was, but Cerny has been outstanding.

“Sean will come in. He hasn’t let us down in the past and is a good goalkeeper – we’re lucky to have cover like that.”