Hamilton Accies head to Celtic Park on Sunday, kick-off 1pm, looking to get over a dip in form and win in the East End of Glasgow for the second time this season.
Ali Crawford got the only goal back in October but midfielder Darian Mackinnon had to watch on from the sidelines and is hoping to get the nod this time round.
He said: “I was suspended for that first game and it was a hard one to sit out. I was there watching it alongside Martin Canning and 'Canzo' is now of course our player/manager so a lot has happened since then.
“It was a great result and the team went on a great run at that time and I struggled to get back into the side. I want to be on the pitch looking to help us secure maximum points against Celtic as opposed to watching this time. I want to start and if I don’t start I will want to get on as soon as possible.
“This is the type of game you want to play in. However, after being disappointed with our performance against Aberdeen on Sunday, when we lost 3-0, no-one can really go complaining to the manager if they are not involved.”
The Dons’ victory at New Douglas Park extended Hamilton’s winless run to seven matches but Mackinnon said: “Those games have gone now and we have to move on. We have rested and recovered and are ready to go again.
“Playing at Celtic Park is a long way from my days at Junior side Clydebank. There are some decent grounds in the Juniors but this is the pinnacle in Scotland as it is the biggest ground.
“However, I am not going there to admire things - I am going there focused. We have had a mini-slump recently and that can happen after a manager and some players leave.
“We are looking to bounce back into form and not let this run ruin what was a great first half of the season. We do not want the results of the last few weeks to dictate our season as we had been terrific up until a few weeks ago.”
MacKinnon is convinced the match-winner back in October is ready to grab the headlines again after seeing Tony Andreu move to the Championship in England along with manager Alex Neil.
The 29-year-old said: “Ali hit the winner back then and hopefully he will get another one. He can turn it on and fill Tony's boots. Tony was a terrific player who scored good goals for us and Ali can do that as well - hopefully he can do it at Celtic Park.”
Craig Stewart
.png){kind=logo}
