We’ll keep quiet about signing targets – Taylor

May 28 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON first-team coach Stuart Taylor confirmed he and boss Billy Reid have earmarked a number of signing targets for next season, but they’re staying tight lipped.

Speculation has linked Accies with a move for several players, including Inverness striker Dougie Imrie – although he’s still under contract at the Caledonian Stadium – but Taylor said Reid won’t divulge who they’re after until deals are imminent, in case they attract other clubs to a player’s availability.

He explained: “We will always be interested in different players and we have earmarked a few we want to try and bring in, but we wouldn’t divulge who they are as that could create interest from other clubs.

“Some of the names we will be linked to over this summer will be pure speculation, others will be true.

“But we have to be selfish about it because clubs have different budgets to work with and we wouldn’t want to spark a reaction, so we won’t be saying who we’re interested in just yet.”

Following Saturday’s final game of the season new one-year deals were signed by defender Martin Canning and strikers Derek Lyle and Joel Thomas.

Leaving the club are midfielder Stephen Ettien, strikers Derek Asamoah, Kenny Deuchar, Rocco Quinn, and stopper Chris Swailes.

Taylor was delighted to snap up the trio and said: “It’s fantastic news. We were looking to keep players who have done well for us and this allows us to strengthen our squad.”

Taylor wished the departing players well, but had a special word for Swailes.

He said: “Chris was different class for us. He had a fantastic season last term when he helped us to the First Division championship, and in the season just past he really surpassed himself.

“On the pitch he gave everything. I’d never rule him out of anything but I think he’ll move to a club closer to his home in England and he has been a fantastic servant to Hamilton.” In other news midfielder James McArthur underwent a successful cartilage operation this week and has started rehabilitation.

Trent McClenahan will see a second specialist this week and it’s hoped that his double hernia operation will take place in early June. The defender is currently back in Australia. Taylor said: “Trent has been offered a new deal and I hope he takes it. He came in and did very well for the club last season.

“Trent thoroughly enjoyed it, he was very happy here and with his position, but obviously he wanted to get his injury cleared up because, in the last few games, he was in a lot of pain and discomfort.

“How he got through that I don’t know, but he was a huge success for us.”

Taylor said everybody at the club was delighted with their ninth-placed SPL finish.

He said: “Finishing ninth in the table means everything – it’s a massive achievement for everybody at the club.

“At the start of the season somebody told me that, if we did well, taking a point from our last three games would keep us up but we did better than that – we won 12 games and finished on 41 points.

“We also finished in the quarter-finals of both cups.

“If we’d been offered that and the league finish at the start of the season we’d have snapped your whole arm off!

“Everybody is delighted and it’s been a fantastic season for us. It was great from the players’ point of view as well to pay back the supporters, who have been extremely loyal to us.”

Meanwhile, Lucas Akins and Tony Stevenson have returned from loan spells at Partick Thistle and Clyde, respectively, and go back into the squad, but Paul McGowan will return to Celtic.

In the under-19s, Ali Crawford, Grant Evans, Gary Gow, Declan McAvoy, Stuart Mills and Matt Sheridan have extended their contracts, while highly-rated Grant Gillespie has signed a new two-year deal.

Heading in the opposite direction are David Collins, Jojo Connolly, Liam Fagan, Stephen Hall, Jordan Love, Gavin McLachlan and Fraser Team, while Alan Love was forced to quit through injury at 18.