HAMILTON Academical manager Billy Reid insists his side will have enough to contend with when they take on Celtic without worrying about a possible backlash following their midweek defeat in the Champions League. The Parkhead side return to Clydesdale Bank Premier League business after the 1-0 defeat by Villarreal in Spain, which left them third in Group E and facing the prospect of Uefa Cup football at best after the group stages are completed.
Reid has been happy with the way his players have adapted to their first season in the SPL despite last week's 4-1 defeat at Falkirk.
The Accies manager acknowledged a far more difficult task awaits his players at Celtic Park but he insists they w
ill not travel to the east end of Glasgow simply to "make up the numbers".
"We don't think there will be a backlash as such," he said. "Celtic and Rangers are looking very strong this season as it is but I think Celtic have more flair players and if they play to their ability then they will cause us problems.
"But it is a great chance for all our players, not just the young ones, to show what they can do.
"Ibrox and Celtic Park are the stages where you are judged as a player so I hope all the players want it. It's a big occasion for everyone.
"I only played there once in a reserve game so I'm looking forward to it as well."
Celtic striker Georgios Samaras has already left behind the disappointment of losing to Villarreal in the Champions League to concentrate on Hamilton.
The Greece international missed Celtic's best chance of the game in El Madrigal on Tuesday night just before the interval and the Scottish champions were made to pay when Marcos Senna scored from a free-kick to condemn Gordon Strachan's men to their 17th away Champions League defeat in 18 matches.
However Samaras, who picked up his Clydesdale Bank player of the month award for September after firing in six goals last month, looked forward to getting back in to action against Accies at Parkhead.
"We can't think about what happened against Villarreal and why we didn't take a point," the former Manchester City player said.
"You are a professional footballer so you must always look to the next game.
"We must forget what happened last Tuesday and focus on the game against Hamilton, to perform really well and try to score goals.
"Everybody knows that the Champions League is a top league with all the top teams, and it was a big difference. It's always a great atmosphere playing against top players, but we have to forget that at the moment and focus on the SPL."
The full article contains 463 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
