Former Rangers kid Matthew Shiels has branded the move to Hamilton "a step up" as he admitting his frustrations with the Ibrox academy system.
The 20-year-old brought the curtain down on 12 years in Govan this summer as he dropped down to the Championship in search of first-team football.
Despite training with the first-team, he was limited to Colt team appearances and was shipped out on loan to Clyde last season.
The Auchenhowie set-up has earned plaudits in recent months having produced Scotland breakthrough duo Nathan Patterson and Billy Gilmour.
However, the left-back insists his frustrations are shared by a number of youngster behind the scenes, which led to his decision to make the move to New Douglas Park next term.
Shiels told Lanarkshire Live: “When I was at Rangers it was with their academy, so it is a step up for me, because it’s in to first team football now.
“That’s what I’m looking forward to, so hopefully I can impress and go straight into the team.
“I had been at Rangers for 12 years, I think it was time to move on and do the right thing for my career.
"I had trained with the first team a few times and I went away to Marbella with them, but i just felt like sometimes you weren’t getting through to the first team, and I think a lot of the boys feel the same.
“I think this move, for me, was the right thing to do. This is a chance to kick-start my career.
"I think it’s about getting as many games as I can, as early as possible, and it will only benefit me if I can get enough games under my belt and impress."
