Hamilton Accies boss won't change red-card captain's game

John Rankin won’t change Scott Martin’s fiery nature despite his red card in Hamilton’s 2-0 defeat against Ayr United on Saturday – but accepts his captain does need to be more street wise.

Martin was shown a second yellow 68 minutes into their Championship opener at New Douglas Park, and within four minutes Anton Dowds had added a killer second to George Stainger’s first-half opener to send the points back to Somerset Park.

Accies boss Rankin is disappointed to see his skipper dismissed, and suspended for the trip to Morton on Saturday, but says changing the midfielder’s game dilutes it.

He said: I’m disappointed with it. When you watch it back he had two fouls in the game. His first foul, I’m not complaining about, I think it’s a yellow, and his second one, you’re always on that tightrope.

“But the way Scotty plays the game, if you take that edge away from him he’s not the same player.

“On his part, it’s probably a case of him learning, with regards to when you’re on that booking, that you need to be extra squeaky clean.

“We’re disappointed to lose him. Scotty is the catalyst for a lot of what we do, and we’re disappointed that he misses out this weekend.

“People always speak about discipline when you lose players through red cards, but it’s a competitive edge he has to his game, I wouldn’t say it’s discipline – it’s not like he’s been booked for mouthing off or kicking the ball away, so those circumstances we can accept, slightly.”

Rankin likes that Martin’s game is blood and thunder, rather than analytical.

He said: “I don’t want to change Scotty’s game, I think people who actually tackle and go and win the ball are a dying breed in the game now.

“The new breed is just intercepting lines, cutting off passing lanes,