Stoke City boss and Hamilton Accies legend Alex Neil backs old club to go one better than he did in cup final

Hamilton Accies legend Alex Neil experienced plenty of highs during his time at New Douglas Park, from lifting the old First Division title to winning the Premiership play-off final that memorable day at Easter Road in 2014.

The Challenge Cup, or SPFL Trust Trophy as it is now known, was a thorn in his side, however, as he ended up on the losing team twice under boss Billy Reid in 2005 and 2012.

This weekend, Neil’s old club are aiming to put those demons to rest by lifting the trophy for the first time since their 1992 triumph over Morton at Love Street, where a Chris Hillcoat effort and Gary Clark double delivered a 3-2 win.

And Neil, who is now manager at English Championship side Stoke City alongside fellow former Accies boss Martin Canning, is backing Hamilton to go one better than he managed as a player when they face Raith Rovers at the Falkirk Stadium on Sunday.

He said: “I think it is going to be a tough match.

“I think it will come down to who holds their nerve and I think, with the momentum and the form Hamilton have been in of late, they have a good chance.

“I think they will see it as a welcome distraction from the league and I fancy them to go on and win the game.

“It has been a difficult season for them overall [at the bottom end of the Championship table], but they have been absolutely flying of late.

“Since the turn of the year, they have done a good bit of recruitment in terms of getting bodies in to help them [including Tom Sparrow from Stoke] and I think they have been one of the form teams in the league recently with some of the results they have picked up.

“If they win the cup, they would take huge belief and confidence in terms of how good they are as a team and, hopefully, that can set them up for