Scotland Ready For Tannadice Return

Photo by Jeff Holmes Jason Scotland's prospective return to Dundee United on Saturday reminds the veteran Hamilton striker of his time as a reluctant pupil at Tannadice. After arriving at the Tayside club in 2003 from Trinidad and Tobago, Scotland found himself being educated by senior professionals at United such as Billy Dodds, Charlie Miller and Jim McIntyre. After moving on to play for St Johnstone, Swansea, Ipswich, Wigan and Barnsley, picking up 41 caps for his country along the way, the 35-year-old returned to Accies in January and helped them into the Premiership through the Championship play-offs. Scotland now finds himself the "father figure" in the New Douglas Park dressing room and passing on words of wisdom he admits finding hard to accept when they were aimed at him. He said: "I was at Dundee United when Billy Dodds, Charlie Miller and Jim McIntyre were senior players and they used to be always chirping at me about rules and how to play and what to do as a striker. "I was thinking 'what are they talking about?' "It is the same here at Hamilton with me, the young guys will be thinking, 'why is he always talking, why doesn't he shut up?' "But I am just trying to tell them the right things and guide them and maybe five or six years down the line they will be saying 'Jason was right' as I now say that Charlie, Billy and Jim were right. "They were willing to help me and that was good of them. "I have some good memories of United. It was the first club I went to after I came from Trinidad and Tobago and I cherish the break I had at Tannadice." Scotland has coaching ambitions of a more formal kind but is determined to play for as long as possible. "We were off for a couple of days during the international break and I was getting up not knowing what to do with myself," he said. "So coming here in the morning to the banter in the dressing room with the boys buzzing, that's something that is keeping me going. "I will take it one year at a time. I wanted to still be involved because we got promotion but I will see how well I do this season and call it at that time." Scotland is hoping the international break has not halted Hamilton's early-season momentum which has propelled them into second place in the Premiership following four successive wins. "Sometimes it is difficult to stop and go again," he said. "But there are three points at stake and hopefully we get them and continue the run. "It will be a tough game, second versus third, so we have to be on our game to take something."