Martin Canning fears he won't be able to replace departed trio

Martin Canning fears Hamilton could be priced out of landing like-for-like replacements for departed trio Ali Crawford, Lewis Ferguson and David Templeton.

Those three were key for Accies last term as they beat the drop for the fifth campaign running.

But midfielder Ferguson has subsequently headed north to join Aberdeen, while playmakers Crawford and Templeton are both now based in England after signing for Doncaster and Burton respectively.

And with just three days left before his side kick-off the new Ladbrokes Premiership season at home to Hearts, Canning admits he still has not managed to bring in new faces who can offer the same threat.

He said: "We're still looking for the three or four key players who will come in and add to the squad and make a difference.

"For clubs of our size these are the most difficult guys to get.

"They never seem to commit early in pre-season and like to keep their options open. Understandably they want to move to bigger clubs for more money.

"It's business at the end of the day and guys who we know and who are established Premiership players don't come cheap.

"But we're still hoping we can find someone with that experience, a top player, who can help out when it comes to making the squad more competitive.'

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