New signing Stuart McKinstry has crossed the Lanarkshire divide to join Hamilton but the former Motherwell winger reckons Accies is the perfect place for him to reignite his career.
The 22-year-old, who is a Motherwell fan and played for the Steelmen in the 2022/23 season, has signed a short-term deal after training with John Rankin’s side for the past seven weeks and made his debut in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Morton.
He was released by Queen’s Park in the summer and was without a club until Rankin invited him in.
Now McKinstry is keen to make an impact to get back to the heights he hit as a teenager to earn him a deal at Leeds United and he feels he is exactly where he needs to be at this stage in his career.
He said: “Coming into the environment and seeing how the staff work, made me think this is the right place for me.
“It just seems like the right fit for me with where I am in my career.
“The manager is very close with the players and that’s what I need right now. He can tell you what you are doing wrong and what you are doing right and that’s what I wanted.
“When the chance came I thought this is where I want to play my football.
“I was in for around seven weeks before I signed. I just had to get back training. I didn’t have a club during pre-season so when I found out that Hamilton wanted me to train, I was delighted.
“I knew of the manager and he knew of me so it was just a case of coming in and seeing where I was at. I had done a couple of hard months in the gym but it is not quite the same so when I first came in I did feel a bit off it.
“But after the seven weeks I feel good and I feel like I am improving every week, fitness-wise and in terms of being back on the ball.”
McKinstry’s introduction was instrumental in Hamilton’s win over Morton, stretching the play and allowing more opportunities to be created.
He added: “It was 0-0 when I came on and me and Steven Bradley coming on just changed the dynamic of the game. Suddenly, having two players out wide, Morton had to drop a bit deeper and be more cautious, so that opened up space for us in the midfield.
“The full flow of the game changed when the manager made the changes.”