Today we're joined by Brandon Coghill, who gives us the lowdown on Accies.
How would you assess your club's 22/23 season so far?
There are probably not many PG words which I could use in this to describe our season so far. Beyond terrible to keep it to a minimum.
Stuart Taylor’s departure dragged on too long and while there was initial positivity over John Rankin’s promotion – two league wins from 17 has seen that evaporate.
Performances on the park simply haven’t been good enough. The type of performance, attitude and determination that the fans desired and expected from a John Rankin team hasn’t materialised even in the slightest.
If performances and results don’t pick up ASAP and investment isn’t made in the January window then I’m struggling to see anything else than us heading into League 1 and I dread to think what effect that will have on the club as a whole.
Nice positive start to kick us off on the Accies!
Main Man: Favourite current player and why
I was torn between two players here; on a personal level I would have to say my favourite would be Andy Winter. The boy is still of a young age and is clearly a natural finisher.
He always runs himself into the ground and can you see how passionate he is about the club. All we ask is 100% regardless of the result and he is one of the very few who, despite not playing in his best suited position, clearly gives his all every game.
However, I feel it would be very unfair not to give a mention here to Andy Ryan. In his second spell at the club, he has probably been the most consistent performer and without his goals, work rate and drive then I wouldn’t like to think how further adrift we would be.
Coming through our Academy and being his second spell at the club, he definitely understands what the fans expect and want to see from an Accies team, and he’s never shy of voicing this in post-match interviews.
What is your earliest memory supporting your club?
My downstairs neighbour John Paterson, who is the bus conveyor for the supporters’ club, used to babysit me on a Saturday and I would go to most games both home and away with him and his son John Jnr.
My first memory was Jose Quitongo leading a counter-attack where the opposition goalkeeper had come up for a corner and Jose ran the full length of the pitch, rounding the keeper and sealing the game for us.
Almost Famous – What is your club best known for?
In previous years many Scottish football fans joked that if there was a nuclear attack, all that would survive were cockroaches and Hamilton Accies, such was our ability to avoid relegation.
More widely, we’re probably best recognised for having one of the best youth academies in the country. Year after year our youth teams are fighting at the top against bigger club and our graduates have gone on to play in the English Premier League, Serie A and at international level.
Greatest Gaffer: Your favourite/most loved boss watching your team
Not much of a debate here, Alex Neil.
I don’t think in my life I will ever witness an Accies team be top of the top tier in my life again after humbling pretty much everyone in our tracks.
The fight, desire, skill, and sheer class shown during many performances under Neil is something I doubt I’ll see again as an Accies fan.
Can you tell us one interesting fact about your club which other fans may not know?
We are the only current professional football team in the U.K. to have originated from a Schools team, Hamilton Academy. Hence the name Hamilton Academical.
Who would make your ultimate all-time 5-a-side team?
I can’t understate how difficult this has been and how long I have mulled over different options.
- Michael McGovern – His performance for Northern Ireland v Germany in Euro 2016 was what Accies fans got to witness every week. A shot-stopping sensation.
- Alex Neil – He was mostly a holding midfielder but regularly deployed at centre back so since it’s 5-a-Side, I’ll go for him. Apologies to Mar McLaughlin.
- James McCarthy – probably our highest-profile academy graduate. The boy had the world at his feet at such a young age and could do it all. Defend, attack, intercept and win games on his own.
- Tony Andreu – another hard position to pick with an array of options but being my favourite-ever Accies player I had to include him. Would be able to get a goal from the most impossible position and situation and had the ability to win games all on his own.
- Jason Scotland – This was a tough one. If you wanted any previous Accies player to have a ball within 10 yards of goal, then it would be Jason.
What is your all-time favourite match?
We’ve enjoyed humbling our Lanarkshire rivals, big top-flight wins including against the Old Firm or the infamous 10-2 v Morton.
However, my favourite and arguably most famous result was overturning a 2-0 deficit against Hibernian to gain promotion to the Premiership at Easter Road. One of the most dramatic play-off finals of all-time!
Losing out on the title on the final day despite a 10-2 victory was heart-breaking but it’s safe to say I wouldn’t have had the promotion in any other way due to how it unfolded.
What makes your club special to YOU?
We are a very close-knit bunch of supporters, and we would never claim to be otherwise. The people I have met throughout supporting Accies have quickly become more like family than anything. I started supporting Accies because of my best friend, who I sadly lost at a young age which drove me even more into having a burning passion and love for this club.
Nothing ever seems to be easy with Accies, it’s very much rollercoaster supporting the club, but just when you’re at that point of no return, they manage to suck you back in and give you a feeling which is indescribable.
You can follow Hamilton Academical's progress every week in our SPFL Lower League Round Up - watch the latest edition now!
