Livingston v Hamilton: Accies ace Connor Smith feels at home now after SEVEN loans spells in six years
Connor Smith hopes having a place to call home after SEVEN loan moves in six years will help him thrive at Hamilton Accies.
The midfielder joined Accies on a two-and-a-half year deal last week, having spent the first half of the season on loan from St Johnstone.
Boss John Rankin knows the 22-year-old inside out from his days helping bring Smith through the youth set-up at Hearts.
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And with the pair now working together on a permanent basis, Smith believes the Championship side will help bring out the best in him.
After committing himself to the club until the end of the 2026/27 season, Smith – who has had two loan spells at Accies – said: “That was seven loans I’ve had, and I’m only 22, so it has been a rollercoaster for me so far.
“I have always wanted to be somewhere that I can be settled. I thought that was going to be at St Johnstone, but that obviously didn’t work out.
“Now I am at Accies for two-and-a-half years and I am buzzing about that.
“I’ve known a lot of the boys in the changing room for a few years now and it helps when you get on with them.
“I’ve also known the gaffer since I was 14, so that helps massively.
“Coming in here every day puts a smile on my face and when you are on the pitch and hear the fans singing your name and stuff, that makes a massive difference to me.
“Even when I wasn’t at the club, I was still texting the gaffer back and forward. He has been a massive influence on my career and I’m just happy to be here long term.”
Accies return to Championship action today when they travel to high-flyers Livingston and Smith is determined to make amends for their 2-1 defeat to the Lions earlier in the campaign, with Accies keen to climb away from eighth spot in the table.
Smith added: “Last time we played Livingston I felt we were the better team in the first half but they got the better of us in the second half.
“But I don’t think we’ll allow that to happen on Saturday. We will go there and give it our all to get the three points this time.
“We need to try and push our way up the table, aim for that top four, and push ourselves away from the teams at the bottom end of the table.”
