ALEX NEIL insists his Hamilton team have nothing to fear ahead of their top flight return.

Accies will kick off their campaign at home to Arbroath in the League Cup on Saturday before turning their attentions to the Premiership and their opening weekend clash with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

After winning promotion in dramatic circumstances with a play-off triumph over Hibs, boss Neil has spent recent weeks building and preparing his squad for the new term.

And the New Douglas Park gaffer is determined to prove the doubters wrong once again as Accies look to shine among Scotland's top teams.

Neil said: "This will be the first taste of the top league for the vast majority of our players so it will be interesting to see how they adapt.

"We have no fear, that is the biggest thing about us. What is there to fear?

"I am a young manager and we are in Scottish football's top division - it doesn't get much better than that.

"We are all really looking forward to it and we want to go and show what we can do.

"What everybody else thinks doesn't concern me, the only thing that matters is what we think. We think we are a good side. I was the youngest manager in the First Division and that didn't hold us back at all.

"I hve been involved in football all my life. I have been here for 10 years now and I know our team inside out.

"We did great last season and we are keen to build on that."

It is not just from the dugout where Neil will look to guide Accies to Premiership safety.

The 33-year-old midfielder missed several months of the First Division campaign due to injury but is determined to play again this term.

Neil said: "I am not sure yet whether I'll make it for the first game but I will be looking to get involved at some stage.

"I will certainly be featuring for the team this season. I have done a lot of the pre-season work but didn't do anything down at Durham. I took a step back because there was a lot of other work to get done.

"I will be fine once we get into the normal run of things."

Neil has added five players to the squad which came agonisingly close to the First Division title before clinching their Premiership place with a penalty shoot-out win at Easter Road.

And the Lanarkshire boss has backed last season's heroes to shine in the Premiership as they prepare for their step into the unknown. Neil insisted: "I said at the end of last season that these players would get their chance.

"They are the guys who have got us to where we are. They had a great season last year.

"A lot of them came through our youth academy and the last thing we would do is discard them and bring someone else in to take their jobs.

"These guys have achieved great things for themselves and for this club.

"I hope they can do it at a higher level now. And I believe they will."