DOUGIE IMRIE has been a Hamilton captain in everything but name for the past three seasons but now he has officially been given the armband for the new campaign.

With Mikey Devlin out of action until the turn of the year with a knee injury, Imrie was the obvious choice for skipper.

And he has already made his mark on new signings Xavier Tomas and Ryan Fulton.

The 33-year-old attacker plays with his heart on his sleeve and he demands the same passion and commitment from everyone around him.

Manager Martin Canning said: “Mikey will remain the club captain but Dougie will be the team captain this season.

“Dougie is a captain anyway in terms of leading by example and his work rate.

“Now he has a bit more responsibility in terms of helping players. I’m sure it is something he will thrive on.

“Dougie and Darian MacKinnon are two peas in a pod in terms of the way they go about their business.

“They lead by example and leave everything out on the pitch every time they step out there.

“That is great for us when you bring players in and they see that commitment.

“You have to buy into that if you want to be part of the club.

“There is no hiding place. Players bust a gut every day in training and that is a real club mentality.”

The loss of Devlin, who suffered cruciate ligament damage in May, Canning made the move to bring in giant French centre back Xavier Tomas who is poised to make his debut in tomorrow’s Betfred Cup tie against Queen of the South.

And young keeper Fulton is also set to get his first start after leaving Liverpool where he had come through the youth system.

Canning said: “Xavier is someone we have been looking at for a few weeks.

“I have watched a lot of his games and when I met him for a bit of lunch I liked him as a person as well.

“He is a big dominant centre half and is exactly what we needed. He will take Mikey’s mantle in the team. He is an organiser and a leader.”

Canning initially thought he would sign Fulton on loan but he was pleased to be able to negotiate his release to snap him up permanently.

He said: “We hoped we might be able to get him on loan but we managed to get him a permanent deal.

“You don’t stay at Liverpool for that long if you don’t have something.

“It is no sleight not to be the number one or two at a big club like Liverpool. I’m excited to get him in.

“He has played with the Scotland U21s and did well on loan at Chesterfield last season. “

David Templeton is also in line to come into Canning’s plans tomorrow having joined Accies in March and the manager knows he can be a game-changer.

He said: “He’s a fantastic player and has that bit of quality we are looking for at the top end of the pitch.

“I’m putting no pressure on him and saying he needs to play 30/35 games for us this season.

“It will be a case of getting him through training week to week and building him up again after being out for so long.”