Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin says Sean McGinty ‘bit his hand off’ to become the new club captain, as he insisted there are no fractions in the dressing room.
And ex-Ayr defender McGinty took the armband for Saturday’s Scottish Cup exit at St Johnstone.
Rankin said: “Scotty was a great servant for the football club. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him and we wish him all the best.
“Now we’ve got Sean and he will be captain until the end of the season.
“When I asked if he was prepared to take on that responsibility, he bit my hand off for it.
“He is desperate to get us to a good position in the league and drive standards in the team.
“He is a natural leader, speaks really well on and off the pitch, so hopefully we can see him and his leadership qualities come to fruition between now and the end of the season.
“What I will say is there are no fractions in the dressing room. Every player stands shoulder to shoulder, nobody is falling out with one another.
“They are digging each other out at critical times and that is football. There’s honest conversations in the dressing room and they are putting demands on one another, so that will stand them in good stead for the rest of the season.”
Accies are on a four-game losing streak heading into Saturday’s league clash with Queen’s Park, who stunned Rangers in the cup, and Rankin added:“There is no easy game in the Championship and it will be a tough game going to Hampden.
“Queen’s Park are on a high right now, but we need to be ready for that.
“We are in a bit of a rut right now, we are having difficult moments and we have lost a few games in a row, but it is not for the want of trying or a lack of effort.
“If we continue to work hard, our fortunes will turn and we’ll get the breaks to win games.”