Football Season Guide

Hamilton endured a tough season as they failed to make an impression on the top half of the table. Manager Brian Rice unexpectedly departed with the season hardly started and Stuart Taylor took on the challenge. A difficult start for him saw some big defeats, but they improved defensively and began to pick up points. Accies finished in 6th place but had a poor end to the season with only 1 goal scored in their final 4 matches. A messy situation saw Taylor depart in the summer and replaced by his assistant John Rankin. Their focal point of attack, David Moyo, has departed along with left-sided Kieran MacDonald. Central defender Mihai Popescu has departed after his loan deal expired. Hughes and Munro, with 34 appearances between them, have also gone. Highly experienced and respected right-back Michael Doyle has signed after surprisingly being let go by Queen’s Park. Promising midfielder Jonny Ngandu has also joined after his release from the Coventry City squad. Otherwise there has been little transfer activity although they will look at the loan market to bolster their squad. The money from previous big transfers has run out and Hamilton are struggling to remain full-time. This is reflected in the weakness of their squad. They are trying to restructure behind the scenes, but a season of struggle appears to be ahead of them. However, they should be fit and competitive and an experienced loan signing or two could make all the difference to them.