Hamilton Accies v Ayr: We need to win the fight to win the match, says boss John Rankin

Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin has warned his players they will need to win the fight if they are to win the match against ‘huge competitor’ Scott Brown and his Ayr United side in today’s Championship opener.

After last season’s promotion-winning campaign, Accies are back in the second tier and kick-off at home to a side also featuring a host of ex-Accies players.

Rankin says Honest Men boss Brown will have his players mirroring the tenacious attitude he displayed as captain of Celtic and Scotland, so Accies must be prepared to out-fight their rivals to start the new season on a winning note.

He said: “Scott’s teams are always fired-up and they will represent what he was as a player so we know it will be difficult. With the players they have, they are technically very good and they have a few ex-Hamilton players in their ranks that we know about as well, with Scott McMann, George Stanger, George Oakley and Jake Hastie in there.

“Scott was obviously a very good player in his own right and always played the game as a huge competitor. He was competitive - but fair - and I’m sure that’s what we’ll get from them on Saturday.

“Everybody in the Championship fights for everything and it is the most competitive league. It is always so tight and I don’t expect it to be any different this season.

“We need to win the fight as well as the match. Ayr have started the season well and we saw their game with Dundee United in the cup [a 2-1 defeat]. They are a big threat, they’ve got good attacking players so we know they will be dangerous, but we will be ready.

“This time last year, we set ourselves the challenge to be in the Championship this season and we are really looking forward to being a part of it. We are excited by the