Canning's Accies out to spoil Rangers' flag party

Hamilton manager Martin Canning admits preparation is the key ahead of facing Rangers in an historic occasion at Ibrox.

Accies will face a sell-out home crowd as top-flight football returns to Ibrox for the first time in four years. Rangers fans are desperate to celebrate their Ladbrokes Premiership opener with victory while Mark Warburton's side aim to live up to their title-chasing target in their first home encounter.

Canning knows the atmosphere will be intense so he has spent the week drumming home their game plan as they look to deny an attack-minded Rangers side as well as posing a threat themselves.

"It will be a difficult game for us, we know that,'' said Canning, who misses out following surgery to repair a broken cheekbone.

"They have come up as champions and will want to start the season well. But for us it's a big opportunity to go to a big stadium and play in front of 50,000 fans on a big occasion.

"And we are desperate to get going as well, we can't wait to get started.

"I don't know if all the pressure falls on them, but the expectation will be that they should win the game. So for us we have to make sure we have got our game plan right and believe we can take something from the game. We have made sure we are well prepared.

"They are a good side, they control the ball well, they pass the ball well, they make the pitch big. So we have to make sure we are switched on defensively, we need to make sure we defend one on one well, and hopefully we can cause problems ourselves.''

Canning has strengthened his strikeforce ahead of the campaign by signing Trinidad and Tobago international Richard 'Shaka' Roy.

The 28-year-old joins from Defence Force in his homeland on a four-month deal after training with Hamilton during pre-season.

Canning told the club's official website: "Shaka is added to the squad for the next few months to give us extra cover, especially having lost Eamonn Brophy to injury a couple of weeks ago.

"It gives him a chance now that he is living in Scotland and he came to our attention.''