Hamilton Accies boss urges his side to stand up to Morton threat in league opener

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin expects his side to stand up to a committed Morton side in their Championship opener on Saturday as they look to get their campaign off to a positive start.Rankin says every professional player in the country will be eager to get stuck in to the first game of the season, and Hamilton are no different.But he warns that those who start on Saturday will need to fight to keep the jersey, while others battle to take it off of them.He said: "Every season it’s important to get off to a good start – it’s massive.“It gives you something to build on, gives you good confidence to go and kick on for the rest of the season.“But at the same time, it’s only one game – if you win the first game of the season it doesn’t mean you’re going to win the league.“If you lose the first game of the season it doesn’t mean you’re going to get relegated.“We need to treat Saturday’s game as the first of a long campaign, where hopefully we can make it a successful one.“I’m looking forward to the challenge of players accepting that they’ve got the jersey for the first game of the season, but they’ve not got it for the rest of the season.“They have to accept that challenge of trying to stay in the team, while the players that aren’t are going to take the challenge on that they want that jersey back.“I’m fully aware of the commitment of the squad.

Football is no longer about 11, it’s about your squad.“I think if you make them all feel important they’ll be ready for the games, and it then becomes hugely important for us as a group.”Accies legend Dougie Imrie brings his Morton side to New Douglas Park, and Rankin knows what to expect.He said: “I’ve got the utmost respect for what Dougie has done at Morton.