Sheffield United star Ryan One urged to keep feet on the ground by Accies academy chief

Hamilton Accies academy chief George Cairns was proud to see Ryan One on Sheffield United’s bench against Manchester United on Saturday, but told him to keep his feet on the ground.

Striker One was an unused sub during the 2-1 Premiership defeat at Bramall Lane, having earned his place following a brilliant start to life in England since being sold by Accies in the summer.

The 17-year-old is one of several recent Accies academy graduates who are making their mark in the game, including Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson, who scored in a 2-1 win over Frosinone on Sunday, leaving them eighth in Serie A.

Cairns says it’s all about changing people’s lives, and is always thrilled to see success stories, even if they’re not at New Douglas Park.

He said: “Ryan has earned it, and being on the bench against Manchester United is a fantastic achievement for a young kid.

“But as I’ve had the conversation with him text-wise, ‘keep both feet on the ground and work hard’.

“Our kids have come through the school of hard knocks, they’ve came through a good club, they’ve got a great background, and you hope they go on and do bigger and better things.

“I speak to Lewis Ferguson on a regular basis, he scored for Bologna on Saturday, he’s the club captain, and he also played for Scotland but he’s one of our academy kids.

“Mikey Devlin is the captain of Livingston and he’s one of our academy kids. Danny Armstrong, is playing for Kilmarnock. We’ve got kids all over the place.

“Zander Clark made his debut for Scotland and was with us until he was 15 years of age, so we play a part in a lot of kids and now young men who are out there.

“We keep doing what we’re doing and hope that we can get more and change lives.”

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