On The Road: How key figures with Hamilton at heart are helping Accies lay firm foundations for a brighter future

Hamilton Academic 3 Airdrieonians 2

The road leads back to New Douglas Park. The one from last week On The Road The meanders focused on Clyde and the club’s search for a new home as it operates from its digs.

This week, the same area is very much the focus of Hamilton Academical’s leadership team.

“Stadium ownership is a key factor,” says Jock Brown, Accies’ new chairman, about talks with the previous owners to buy the stadium. “We hope that this will be completed very shortly and that this will transform us. The stadium acquisition is crucial and seems to be well underway.’

“Stadium ownership is a key factor,” says Jock Brown, Accies’ new chairman, about talks with the previous owners to buy the stadium. “We hope that this will be completed very shortly and that this will transform us. The stadium acquisition is crucial and seems to be well underway.’

Brown is a recent recruit to the Hamilton cause in a business sense, but his association with the club extends well into his 78 years. Brown, a Cambridge blue, journalist, commentator, lawyer and managing director at Celtic, had earned a restful retirement. But the appeal of the Accies proved irresistible.

“The only place I would have come back was here,” he says. ‘This is where it all started for me. I was behind the goals every match. McLean, Currie, King, Divers and Hastings. That would have been the front line when I came to live here with my brothers and friends around 1957.’

The transition from lifelong fan to chairman began with a social media exchange with Gerry Strain, director of football. Strain was looking for ideas to help the Accies. Brown took care of them and a meeting with owner Seref Zengin was arranged.

“We had a lot of conversations,” Brown says. There was an invitation for him to come on board. ‘I’ve thought long and hard. I did my homework on both boys and decided they wanted to go in the right direction.”

Brown is excited about the future. “It’s clear I care about the club,” he says. “I believe if we get things right behind the scenes – and there are a lot of things going on – we can have an exciting future.”

He emphasizes that there is nothing material about the job for him. ‘For me there is no other option than to pass on Accies in good condition.’

Zengin’s collaboration with Accies lasts fourteen years. “I started as a sponsor,” says the businessman who owns transport and factory rental companies.

However, he once coached at the grassroots level and still has an interest in that. He helped save Thorniewood United, the Viewpark club, from the brink. ‘They were having a hard time and I intervened. Now there are 296 kids playing football,” he said.

On the day of a spirited and highly entertaining derby in Lanarkshire, he reveals he was once courted to take charge of Airdrieonians. “I canceled at the last minute,” he says.

‘Then the opportunity arose for Hamilton and the chance to get the club back on track.’

So why does he spend so much money and time on Hamilton Academical? ‘If I could help just one talent to the top, that would give me the greatest satisfaction.’

However, he has no shortage of ambition. ‘Our goal is to get this club to the Premier League. Then push for a place for Europe.’

At home on a Saturday for Harry Webster, 87, and his son Colin, 59, there is a spot in the supporters’ lounge before they make the trek to the stands.

“We first came here in the 1974/75 season when you submitted me to Hamilton Accies,” Colin tells his father.

Webster senior had been to Douglas Park before, but this was the father-and-son initiation. “It’s become a habit, I think,” says the father. “Others might go to Parkhead and Ibrox but this is the local team and I like the association with that.”

Colin, a former police officer, is optimistic about the new owner. He points out that the team is also better than in recent years. ‘ Fingers crossed that we are going in the right direction. However, we need more supporters,” he said.

He sees the Premier League as a realistic goal. ‘Under Alex Neil we played a few seasons in the top division, where we held our own. There’s no reason why we can’t be like Motherwell, for example.’

Harry’s fondest memories are of runs in the Scottish Cup, especially that 1-0 win against Rangers at Ibrox in 1987 in the third round.

“I wasn’t there,” he says somewhat sadly. “But it still counts as a memory.”

Colin was there during his best memory. “It was when we went to Easter Road in 2014 during the play-offs. We traveled in hope because we were 2-0 down in the first leg. But we scored two in regular time and then won on penalties.”

“That was a wonderful day,” agrees Stephen Daly. At the age of 62, he has been watching Accies for 57 years. His highlight, though, is Ibrox 1987. “I was there,” he says. ‘And I have the T-shirt, even though it no longer fits me. The Pink Times had a large photo of goalscorer Adrian Sprott and we had it put on t-shirts.’

He believes Accies is capable of moving up a division and competing at the highest level again. “Whatever happens, I will always remember that day at Ibrox. We came back to the club and had a really good night.’

The family theme is continued by Greig Murray, 35. “I’ve been coming here most of my life and have been a season ticket holder since 2001,” he says.

He is accompanied by his father, brothers, cousins ​​and his son Finn, four. “I’m already sentencing him to the Accies,” he says, smiling. “I’ll put it in his head before he can change his mind.”

Murray believes things are looking brighter at the club. “It’s more positive than it has been,” he says. ‘There are still a few issues to be resolved, but it is still more positive. Hopefully the ownership of the stadium can be settled soon. That’s holding us back and once we know we own the stadium, we can move forward.”

HOME is where the goals lie for Oli Shaw. At 26, the forward may have found the perfect place to revive his career after spells at Hibernian, Stenhousemuir, Ross County, Kilmarnock, Barnsley and Motherwell. His two goals on Saturday took his season total to fourteen.

“I just wanted to come in and play games. I had a manager who trusted me and I knew I would score goals. Whether I played good games or bad games, he kept me on the park to achieve that goal. Sometimes yes, sometimes not, but scoring two goals in a derby today is a huge boost for my self-confidence.’

He was not aware of his goal tally. ‘I didn’t set any goals at the start of the season. I just want to play football and enjoy it. As a striker you tend to score goals when you are having fun.’

His manager, John Rankin, believes there is more to come. ‘I think he can score more. I think he can do more. I’m not complaining in any way. We have worked so hard to get him into the football club and you will see more of him in the second half of the season.”

The manager adds: ‘He will have a good end to his career. He’s only now in the middle of it.’

Asked about the forward’s strengths, he naturally points to Shaw’s ability to score, but adds: ‘The 18-yard box is chaos. He’s always in the room.’

On Saturday he was in the final phase of the match. And that turned out to be crucial for the home victory.