DEREK ADAMS last night insisted he just wants a bit of respect from rival clubs as he hit back at Billy Reid’s “sour grapes” rant against his Ross County side.
The Accies boss branded the First Division leaders a long-ball team with no young talent after Saturday’s 2-0 win at Hamilton.
But the County gaffer said: “I could easily react and say a few things in return but that’s not for me.
“I’ve got some talented players here and for many years Ross County have striven to play good football.
“We know we are one of the best footballing teams in the First Division, although we are also capable of mixing it.
“It sounds to me like a wee bit of sour grapes on Billy’s part.
“It’s their choice to use younger players. We don’t have old-stagers. We only had one player aged 30 on the park on Saturday. The vast majority of our lads are in their early to mid-20s and a lot of them have been with us since they were much younger.
“A lot of clubs are now saying they are big on youth development and playing young players of under 19.
“But that’s not the be all and end all of development.
“Sometimes kids are put under unrealistic pressure to go and play.
“We develop our players in a different way. When they are ready, we put them out on loan to Highland League and Scottish League clubs.
“We respect the other teams. I just wish other people would respect us in the same way.”