Hamilton Accies boss hopes fans pack Broadwood in Championship promotion push
Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin says promotion straight back to the Championship is the club's clear aim this season and he hopes fans will get right behind their bid to do that – even if they have to travel further than they are used to.
The club has completed their controversial move out of the town to set up camp in Cumbernauld for at least the next two years at Broadwood Stadium.
It has come off the back of last season's relegation from the Championship after a 15-point deduction for breaching multiple SPFL rules, dealing a double whammy to beleaguered fans.
But as Rankin;s side gears up for the League One campaign starting on August 2 at home to Montrose, he hopes fans – who will have to make a 30-mile round trip compared to New Douglas Park – can still back them in their numbers.
He said: 'We know there has been a lot of negativity about this move over the summer, but I think with the announcement that we can play here and we know we will be here for at least the next two years, there is a bit of positivity about the club again.
'The amount of travelling we are expecting fans to do was already going to be more than normal. I think last season most journeys they had to do were within 30 minutes to an hour, whereas it will be very different this season.
'You look at Inverness, Peterhead, Cove, Montrose and Queen of the South - these are all journeys our fans will need to do. We rely on them for their support, whether it be home or away, and we are in this together.
'We are hoping they will travel that bit further and give us that backing here at Broadwood. It is up to them if they want to do that, it is their hard-earned money they are spending at the end of the day.
'But this is their club and their passion, so we hope they can bring that to Broadwood and make that our home for however long we are here.
'We felt hard done by last season after being relegated through no fault of our own so we want to make that right and get back in the Championship as soon as possible.
'The target is to do that this season. The players know that and they have been set that target. We're asking them to give everything they can.
'Sometimes in Scotland some people don't want to stand up and say we want to win promotion, but there are full-time clubs in this league who will fancy their chances and we are one of them.'
Hamilton - whose first game of pre-season ended in a 2-1 defeat to Lowland League Caledonian Braves on Saturday - have League Cup matches against Stirling Albion, Hearts, Dunfermline and Dumbarton to come this month, with the home games against Hearts and Dumbarton now being played at Broadwood, instead of their original plan to play at East Kilbride's K-Park, while the pitch was being relayed at the Cumbernauld ground.
It means the Group E match against Premiership side Hearts on Tuesday, May 15, will now see them make their Broadwood bow.
Accies' first game in League One will be at home to Montrose on Saturday, August 2, and it's one Rankin is looking forward to.
He said: "It is a tough game but one we are looking forward to. It will be a big day for the club.
'Stewart Petrie [the Montrose boss] has been there for years and we know he has a really good squad, so we'll need to be ready for that. If the supporters can turn up here and give us their backing that would be great.'
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