The excitement that arrives on the day that fixtures are announced hasn’t left Brian Rice despite all his years in football.
Hamilton Accies discovered their Championship schedule on Tuesday and boss Rice can’t wait for the new season to start.
After seven-years in the Premiership, Accies will begin their campaign in Scotland’s second- tier with a trip to face Raith Rovers on Saturday, July 31 before hosting Greenock Morton.
Next season will be Rice’s 41st in professional football since making his debut as a 16-year-old at Hibernian but the Accies boss admits the excitement is as high as ever.
He said: “We were all looking forward to the fixtures coming out. When you look at the teams in the league then you realise that it’s going to be very competitive.
“I’m delighted that the fixtures are out, it’s something to look forward to and it’s something to build towards.
“I’ve been waiting since last week for the fixtures to come out and I actually got a surprise because I thought they came out on Wednesday.
“I turned on the TV this morning [Tuesday] and I was absolutely delighted. We’ve got a brilliant game to start with against Raith Rovers.
“I watched them a lot last season but there has been loads of changes in their squad. We need to make sure that we are ready to hit the ground running.
“I’m not one for splitting games up into blocks of six, nine or twelve. I just take every game as it comes because every game could be your last game in football.”
“I never look too far ahead and it’s always about the next game, especially after last season when we’d get a result then pick up injuries.
“But last season is done and we are now building a team to compete in the Championship.
"We need to try and get out of the Championship - it’s as simple as that. I’m really looking forward to it.”
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