Ricki Lamie insists he is happy to take the step down to the Championship at Hamilton Accies as he aims for vital minutes after six months on the sidelines.
The defender joined Accies on loan from Premiership side Ross County last week and was handed his debut in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Livingston.
It was his first game since suffering an Achilles injury in July and he is now hoping to make his home debut tonight when Accies tackle Raith Rovers, in a clash that could see Hamilton leapfrog their rivals into seventh spot with a win.
The former Motherwell and Livingston ace said: “A big attraction in coming here was that every game means something.
“The Championship is probably the best league in the country in terms of every matchday having some meaning, and you are always playing for something right up until the last game.
“It has been a difficult time for me. That is the longest I’ve been out injured in my career so I take my hat off to guys who have to go through being sidelined any longer.
“I have been lucky that it was only four and a bit months on the sidelines before I was able to get back training, but nothing can replicate being out there facing the rigours of a game.
“It was a sensitive injury. People I’d spoken to who had an Achilles injury before, told me it is nothing to mess about with.
“It was a freak incident where it just came on but, thankfully, I didn’t need any surgery on it. I just needed to nurture it during my recovery.”
Accies have started the year with back-to-back league defeats, having opened 2025 with a 2-1 home defeat at Partick, so they are desperate for points to climb away from the wrong end of the table.
Lamie added: “Tonight will be another tough one for us but being back at home it is a good chance for us to get a positive result.
“We are closely matched with Raith in terms of our league standings and with the rest of the league not playing, it is important we take advantage in terms of getting a game in hand won.”