NEW DOUGLAS Park was awash with euphoria on Saturday afternoon, as Hamilton Accies completed a remarkable rise from the doldrums which eclipses even that of the so-called Gretna fairytale in the far-fetched stakes.
While a sugar daddy's exorbitant spending allowed Gretna the smoothest of progress from Third Division to Premier League, the Lanarkshire club have had to do it the hard, but proper, way. Eight years ago the then beleaguered Accies were about to su
ffer the ignominy of relegation to the Third Division after players went on strike over unpaid wages and failed to fulfil a fixture away to Stenhousemuir, resulting in a 15-point deduction. They could easily have gone to the wall.
But following that demise at the turn of the millennium, which only started to see a genuine upturn when the current owner, Ronnie MacDonald, arrived four years ago to sort out the mess left by his predecessors, the club are now looking forward to life in Scotland's top flight after Saturday's straightforward win over ten-man Clyde proved enough to fend off Dundee in a riveting battle for the First Division championship.
Ironically, around the same time Accies were struggling to stay afloat, present manager Billy Reid, right, was humbly coaching Clyde's under-13 side. Little wonder then, after watching the youngest side in the First Division hold their nerve on the day of reckoning to prove they are also the best, Reid struggled to contain his emotions and took time out from the celebrations to share a moment with his trusting chairman.
"I have a fantastic relationship with the chairman," said Reid, who was drenched in champagne by his players. "The chairman saw something in me and gave me my chance to manage Clyde before bringing me here three years ago. Without that chance, I might not be where I am now. I think I've repaid him, though. I said when I came here, this club would be an SPL club, although I didn't put a timescale on it. I've done it in three years. "
The main reason for Accies' success seems to be MacDonald and Reid's faith in youth. Emphasising the importance of youngsters to the club, Hamilton paraded more than 140 players from their youth teams at half-time, and allowed them to be on the pitch as captain Alex Neil was presented with the championship trophy. It was a fitting gesture, as key first-team players James McCarthy, James McArthur, Brian Easton and Tony Stevenson are all recent graduates of their much-vaunted set-up. With such talents on show, it was little wonder the stand was heavily populated with scouts and agents. Reid, however, remains hopeful his star assets will realise the benefits of staying put and developing further with Accies before moving to more illustrious pastures.
Regardless, the manager is adamant the club will not allow their admirable philosophy to change in the SPL. "I've not had a chance to think about whether we'll be able to keep the team together, but the young boys have got another year on their contracts, so we're under no pressure to sell," said Reid.
"A year in the SPL with Hamilton, playing week-in, week-out, will serve them well, but if guys have got a chance to move on to a different level, we won't stand in their way because we've played a part in their development and that's what's important to us.
"We will continue to bring youth through, even in the SPL. It's the way forward for Scottish football and it's been proven in the First Division this season." On the evidence of how they have handled the run-in, age will be no barrier and if they can hold on to Reid, who is also likely to find himself in demand, survival in the SPL should not be beyond them.
Despite nine of their regular starters being 24 or under, Hamilton have never looked like wilting under pressure, and they swatted aside Clyde in much the same way they had dealt with St Johnstone and Livingston in the previous fortnight.
Almost from the first whistle on Saturday, there was a sense nothing was going to prevent them getting the win to end a 19-year absence from the top flight. The opener arrived midway through the first half when 19-year-old full-back Stevenson kept his cool to drill home a penalty after Clyde captain Neil McGregor had been sent off for using a hand to stop a Simon Mensing effort crossing the line.
Then, two minutes before the break and seconds after an almighty roar had gone up to acclaim news of Queen of the South's goal against Dundee, things got even more raucous among the crowd of nearly 5,000 as the prolific Richard Offiong added a fine finish to a wonderful build-up.
The second half was played out like a friendly as Accies played keep-ball and Clyde were content to avoid suffering further damage against a side who were simply on a different plane.
On the pitch and off it, there appears little doubt Hamilton will be a far more respectable addition to the top flight than the side they are about to replace.
The full article contains 888 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
