Hamilton boss John Rankin has warned his players they must make sure a handful of former Accies stars don’t come back to haunt them in this weekend’s Scottish Cup third round clash with East Kilbride.
The Lowland League title hopefuls come calling on Saturday with four ex-Accies men in their ranks – Ronan Hughes, Kyle Munro, Jonathan Page and Dylan McDonald – looking to spring a cup shock on the Championship side.
Accies know all too well what can happen if they are not at the top of their game, following a 1-0 exit to West of Scotland League side Auchinleck Talbot at the same stage of the competition last season.
And with some former employees keen to get one over on their old side, Rankin insists Accies must be aware of the dangers they will pose, but still ensure they do a professional job in the South Lanarkshire derby.
He said: “I’ve been there myself going back to a previous club. It’s not so much you feel you have a point to prove, it’s more you want to do yourself proud and make sure you put on a show.
“I know Kyle Munro and Ronan Hughes from last season here so I know they’ll really be looking forward to it. They were two good young players who had a good time here but it was time for them to move on.
“They have gone on to East Kilbride and got themselves a career outwith football as well.
“I saw them in EK’s game the other week with Berwick [a 5-0 win] and they were standouts in the team they are at now. You always know with the quality they have that they will be dangerous.
“EK are a good side with good players and a good style. We won’t be slacking off, that’s for sure. The players are aware of the dangers that East Kilbride possess.
“But I don’t think there is any different pressure this week. We go into every game believing we can win.”
Rankin also pointed to Argentina’s shock defeat to Saudi Arabia at the World Cup as another reminder of what can happen in tournament football.
He added: “On Monday we went out for training and it was 1-0 Argentina and when we come back in, all of a sudden Saudi Arabia had won 2-1.
“These things happen in football and they are always there to remind you what can happen.
“So we will come out on Saturday determined to make sure it doesn’t happen to ourselves.”
Accies have no fresh injury worries following last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Dundee in the Championship and Rankin expects to have the same squad to choose from.
The match has a slightly earlier kick-off time of 2.30pm, due to Clyde’s clash with Dumbarton taking place at 7.45pm at New Douglas Park.
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
