Devlin To See Specialist

Photo by Jeff Holmes

Michael Devlin is due to see a specialist after a scan revealed knee ligament damage, Hamilton player/manager Martin Canning has confirmed.

The Accies defender was carried off on a stretcher in the first half of Hamilton's 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Partick Thistle at New Douglas Park on Saturday.

Canning said: "He had a scan and there is a little bit of ligament damage in his knee so he will see the specialist and what comes back from that will dictate where we go from there.

"I would think he is out for the last two games of the season but obviously he has the whole close season to work himself back to fitness.

"It is part and parcel of football."

Thistle's Ryan Stevenson also had to be helped off after it looked like his studs got stuck on the artificial surface, which led to the debate about such pitches re-opening.

Afterwards Jags team-mate Kallum Higginbotham said: "The more and more you bring them in the more the game is going to go downhill."

While St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright said: "I don't think that, at the top level of the game, they are the answer - it's better to have grass pitches."

However, Canning was adamant that artificial surface at Accies is there to stay - and believes plastic pitches are the future for Scottish football.

He said: "I don't know if it was because the game wasn't much of a spectacle that there had to be some talking point.

"A couple of injuries happened on that day but our pitch has been fantastic.

"I have no issues with it and I have no issues with artificial pitches in general.

"I think they are probably going to be the way forward for Scottish football.

"It works for this club. Every level plays on that pitch and they enjoy playing on that pitch.

"We look forward to games we know we are going to be able to pass the ball."