Canning salutes strong finish

Hamilton manager Martin Canning hailed his players after they rounded off a fine first season back in the top flight by defeating St Mirren at New Douglas Park.

Ali Crawford's goal was enough to see off the challenge of their relegated opponents and Canning was delighted his men were able to finish on a high note after their season had threatened to go awry during a difficult spell after he first took the reins from Alex Neil.

"It's been a great ending," Canning said.

"We had a wee spell where we didn't do as well as we had hoped, but in the last five or six weeks, results-wise it's been a lot better.

"I said before that our performances weren't bad, we just weren't picking up results, whereas now we've coupled the performances with results which is obviously what we are trying to do.

"That's the highest ever points total we've finished on, so as a club it's been a terrific season from the start. Obviously we had the wee wobble in the middle and it's been a great finish, so we've got a lot to build on.

"For us it's not about doing it for one season, it's about trying to build a legacy and build a base to go forward and trying to stay in the Premier League and emulate this season as best we can."

Canning named 10 academy players in his squad for the game, with five of those starting and a further three coming off the bench, and their performance has further convinced the Hamilton boss that the club is on the right track.

"Everything is going right in terms of the structure of the club and what we're trying to do," he said.

"It's about us continuing to give those boys an opportunity as and when they're ready. If we think they're good enough to play they'll get the opportunity. It's always been the case here and now for us it's about maybe trying to bring in the guys that can bolster the squad and give us a little bit of experience to help us to continue to let these guys grow."

A problem that all clubs face when they are producing talent of such a high standard is warding off the inevitable suitors who will no doubt be looking at the likes of goalscorer Crawford, who netted his eleventh effort of a fine campaign.

"It's hard because obviously we don't want to lose anybody," Canning said. "But this club has always and will always give the opportunity to young players that come through our academy and, if they're good enough, to move on. If it's the right offer for the club and the right offer for the player, the club will never stand in anyone's way.

"We don't want to lose Ali or anyone else for that matter, we want to keep them and build a team around guys of that quality, but it's something we pride ourselves on. If you come in here and do the job and somebody wants you at a higher level we'll never stand in your way provided that the offer is right for us and right for the players themselves."