Hamilton Accies ace Dan O'Reilly looking for Championship consistency next season

Dan O’Reilly spent 2021 building up his personal consistency – now he wants Hamilton to follow suit as a team.

The Irish centre-back has been a big hit with fans since arriving in January from League of Ireland side Drogheda United.

A product of Premier League club Fulham’s academy, the 27-year-old has gone from part-time football back to full-time with ease since his move to South Lanarkshire.

There were opportunities to remain closer to home and go full-time, but O’Reilly was adamant that taking the plunge and going into UK territory was the right move for him.

A strong season at Drogheda allowed him to build a consistent run of impressive games, and if Accies want to finish higher than their sixth-placed Championship finish in season 2021/22, they also need to find a winning rhythm.

He explained: “A couple of years ago I was still fairly content with playing at part-time level. Obviously you are not training every day but last year in particular was really enjoyable.

“I built up a lot of consistency in my game and then I got the opportunity to come over here. I thought it was the right one for me and I still stand by that now.

“There were full-time options for me to stay in Ireland as well. But I feel that moving over here, it felt more full-time. If I’d taken an option in Ireland, I would still be living back home.

“I think I needed that push. The reverse of full-time to part-time is that you are training in the morning instead of night. I know teams who train four nights each week and that’s the same as the mornings.

“It’s the same as what we do. There was a bit of adaptation in terms of changing that around but I think if I was still at home, I would be comfortable.

“I think for this season, we need to build our