Hamilton Academical is a football club from Hamilton, Scotland. They were established in 1874 from Hamilton Academy. Known locally as “The Accies” the team won promotion from SFL Division 2 to SFL Division 1 in the 2003-04 season. The club have played at New Douglas Park from 2001, having previously played at Douglas Park.
Contents
1 Club
History
2 Current squad
o 2.1 Player out on loan
3
Honours
4
Club Records
5 Managers since 1946
6 Famous players
7 Scottish Player of the Year Awards
8 Scottish Programme of the Year Awards
9 Famous Fans
10 Books
11 External links
Club
History
Hamilton Academical FC were formed in late 1874 by the Rector and pupils of the local school, Hamilton Academy. Membership of the Scottish Football League came in November 1897 when Renton were forced to resign.
The club has reached the Scottish Cup Final twice in their history, losing to Celtic and Rangers in 1911 and 1935, respectively.
In 1971 Accies became the first British club to recruit players from behind the iron curtain when three Polish internationalists signed for the club amid great publicity. Success came in the late 1980′s when promotion to the Premier league was achieved in 1986 and 1988, but both spells in the top division lasted for one season only. In 1991 and 1992 the club won the B & Q Cup (now known as the Scottish League Challenge Cup.) In 1994 new ground regulations saw the club vacate Douglas Park, their home since 1888. The club were forced to ground share with Albion Rovers and Partick Thistle (2 spells) for the next seven years. A much publicised enforced relegation to the Third at the end of season 1999/2000 also befell the club. Though fortunes have since turned and in season 2001-02 the club finally returned to Hamilton after seven years on the road to a stadium just yards from the old site, and have secured a place in Division One for season 2004-05. They are now considered one of the better Division One teams.
Current squad
No. Position Player
Scotland GK Raymond Jellema
Scotland GK David McEwan
Scotland DF Brian Easton
Republic of Ireland DF David Elebert
Scotland DF Derek Fleming
Scotland DF Ross McCabe
Scotland DF Gerry McLauchlan
Scotland DF Mark McLaughlin
Scotland DF Tom Parratt
France DF Omar Rezgane
Scotland DF Tony Stevenson
Scotland MF Scott Agnew
Scotland MF Craig Galloway
Scotland MF James McArthur
No. Position Player
Scotland MF James McCarthy
Scotland MF Marc McJimpsey
Scotland MF Alex Neil
Scotland MF John Neill (on loan from Heart of Midlothian)
Scotland MF Marvyn Wilson
Scotland FW Lewis Coult
Scotland FW Mark Gilhaney
Scotland FW Mark McAlpine
Scotland FW Paul McLeod
England FW Richard Offiong
Australia FW Scott Tunbridge
England FW Brian Wake
Scotland FW David Winters
Player out on loan
No. Position Player
Spain FW Javier Payo (on loan to Alloa Athletic)
Honours
Division One: Champions 1985-86, 1987-88
Division Two: Champions 1903-04 Runners-up 1952-53, 1964-65, 1996-97, 2003-04
Division Three: Champions 2000-01
Scottish Cup: Runners-up 1910-11, 1934-35
League Challenge Cup: Winners 1991-92, 1992-93 Runners-Up: 2005-06
Reserve League Cup: Winners 1983-84 Runners-Up: 1992-93
Second XI Cup: Winners 1933-34
Reserve League West Champions 1997-98
Lanarkshire Cup: Winners 11 times
Club Records
Record Attendance: 28,690 v Heart of Midlothian, 1937 (Douglas Park)
Record Victory: 11-1 v Chryston, 1885
Record Defeat: 1-11 v Hibernian, 1965
Most League Goals in a Season: 35, David Wilson, 1936-37
Most International Caps: 29, Colin Miller, (Canada)
Managers since 1946
Scotland Jimmy McStay, 1946 – 1951
Scotland Andrew Wylie, 1951 – 1953
Scotland Jacky Cox, 1953 – 1956
Scotland John Lowe, 1956 – 1958
Scotland Andy Paton, 1959 – 1968
Scotland John Crines, 1968 – 1969
Scotland Billy Lamont, 1969 (Player/Manager)
Scotland Tommy Ewing, 1969 – 1970
Scotland Bobby Shearer, 1970-1971
Scotland Ronnie Simpson, 1971 – 1972
Scotland Billy Lamont, 1972 (Caretaker)
Scotland Eric Smith, 1972 – 1978
Scotland Davie McParland, 1978 – 1982
Scotland John Blackley, 1982 – 1983
Scotland Bertie Auld, 1983 – 1984
Scotland John Lambie, 1984 – 1988
Scotland Jim Dempsey, 1988 – 1989
Scotland George Miller, 1989 (Caretaker)
Scotland John Lambie, 1989 – 1990
Scotland George Miller, 1990
Scotland Billy McLaren, 1990 – 1992
Scotland Iain Munro, 1992 – 1996
Scotland Sandy Clark, 1996 – 1998
Scotland/Canada Colin Miller, 1998 – 1999 (Player/Manager)
Scotland Ally Dawson, 1999 – 2002
Scotland Chris Hillcoat, 2002 – 2003
Scotland Allan Maitland, 2003 – 2005
Scotland Billy Reid, 2005 – present
Hamilton Academical manager biographies
Famous players
Robert Howe
James King
Colin Miller
Other notable Hamilton Academical players
Scottish Player of the Year Awards
1985-86 First Division Player of the Year: John Brogan
1987-88 First Division Player of the Year: Alex Taylor
1996-97 Second Division Player of the Year: Paul Ritchie
Scottish Programme of the Year Awards
National Winners: 1974-75, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1981-82
First Division Winners: 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1987-88 (with Clydebank)
Second Division Winners: 1973-74, 1974-75, 2001-02
Famous Fans
Craig Brown
Jock Brown
Jamie Burnett
Jimmy Greaves
Alison Walker
Books
Peter McLeish (1997). Hamilton Academical Who’s Who: 1946/47-1996/97. Soccerdata. ISBN 1-899468-80-3.
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