Hamilton Accies v Montrose: Rankin won’t take any chances with players carrying knocks this season.

The Accies manager has players with minor injuries, but he will not risk them given the club’s transfer embargo.

John Rankin admits the Hamilton Accies transfer embargo means he won’t take any chances with his players carrying niggling injuries this season.

The Lanarkshire club begins their League One campaign this afternoon at home to Montrose, but they are doing so while serving a season-long ban that prevents them from signing senior players. Only under-19s and amateurs can be signed, according to their sanction.

So Rankin will not take any chances with his players’ fitness, which means midfielders Barry Maguire and Kyle MacDonald will miss today’s opener because they are carrying knocks in a squad of only 19 players, three of whom are 16 years old.

The Accies manager stated, “Every game will be difficult because of our small squad.

To start the season well, we simply need to go out with full focus, energy, and commitment, as we expect from our team. “Barry Maguire has been out since half-time of the Hearts game, and Kyle missed the Dumbarton game due to a niggle.”

“With the news [of the embargo], we just couldn’t risk playing him and losing another body.

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