Imrie: Boo-boys just fired me up

Sep 2 2010 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

INVERNESS boo-boys inspired Dougie Imrie to score the best goal of his career as Hamilton grabbed their first points of the new season at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium on Saturday.

It took the Accies winger just 38 seconds to silence the home crowd with a 30-yard rocket that left Ryan Esson helpless.

Before the game, Imrie had decided not to celebrate should he score against the club he left for New Douglas Park last January, but scrapped that when he heard abuse coming from a home support that used to idolise him.

The 27-year-old said: “Have I scored a better goal? Probably not – that has to be the best of my career.

“I got the ball, went past a couple of players and just thought I would have a dig – and it went straight into the top corner.

“I celebrated the goal and I didn’t really want to do that. I told my dad before the game that I wouldn’t celebrate if I scored, but just before the game I got a bit of abuse from their fans, so just thought ‘never mind that then’.

“I’m not saying it was all of the Inverness supporters, just a wee pocket of them, and I didn’t celebrate the goal as much as I would have done normally – but when you score a goal like that you need to celebrate, so what can you do!”

Imrie admitted the reaction of the Caley support disappointed him but also made him more determined to help Accies clinch their first win of the season.

“I did well for Inverness and I expected a good reaction, but that’s just the way it is up there,” he said.

“It spurs you on when you get a reaction like I did, and you play on it a bit.

“I always give 110 per cent anyway, but it does make you more motivated.

“I was at Inverness for two years and I had some good times there, but I don’t play for them any more and my job is to do my best for Hamilton, so I was delighted to score the winner.”

Hamilton entertain Rangers in their first game back after this weekend’s international break before visiting Hibs at Easter Road seven days later.

Imrie added: “We’ve got a good result under our belt, so maybe it would have been good to get the next game this weekend.

“But in the same sentence, we’ve got a few lads with knocks, so it gives them more time to recover – hopefully we can get them back.”