David Martindale believes Hamilton Accies' have landed a player of Premiership standard in new signing Steve Lawson.
And he insisted the versatile player is better technically than Livingston's last great export to Accies, Hakeem Odoffin.
The Livingston gaffer worked with the right-back for three years and was surprised it took him six months to find a new club after departing the Lions in the summer.
The 27-year-old became Accies’ fourth January signing on Thursday behind defender Dan O’Reilly, winger Ellis Brown and forward Kai Kennedy, and Martindale believes it’s a real coup for Stuart Taylor’s side in their first season since being relegated to the Championship.
The Togo international featured 65 times for the Lions, scoring one goal, which coincidently came against Accies in a six-goal thriller in 2019 at New Douglas Park.
And now Martindale has lifted the lid on what Accies fans can expect from their latest recruit.
He said: “Steve is a really good lad and is very intelligent, articulate and well educated.
"I’m really surprised that he’s not had a club first and foremost and secondly that he’s playing in the Scottish Championship and I don’t mean that disrespectfully.
“I’m just happy to see him back playing football again and I’m glad that he has gone to Hamilton because it’s a club I know really well and a club that I have a lot of time for.
"Hamilton have signed a very good football player.
“He’s got a lot of ability and very good technique. He’s very athletic, box-to-box and I think he’ll be a standout in the Scottish Championship as he’s a very good football player.
“Steve’s got a lot of great attributes. He likes to go forward with the ball, has a very good right foot and his athleticism is fantastic as he looks after himself very well away from the football ground.
"Off the park, I think the fans will love him as he engages with them on social media and is generally a really nice guy.”
The Hamilton fans have been calling for the club to sign a right-back to replace the outgoing Luke Matheson as well as an experienced centre-midfielder.
Lawson is a very versatile player and can be deployed in both those positions and although it looks as if he’s been signed as a right-back, Martindale believes that Lawson would be best placed in midfield for Accies.
He said: “I would be playing Steve in midfield in the Scottish Championship. In the Premiership it was very, very physical at times and it’s not that he can’t do the physical side but he’s got quite a small frame and was up against boys at 6’2 who like to get tight to you so I preferred him at right-back.
“However, if I was managing him in the Championship, I’d be playing him in centre-midfield.
"Stuart (Taylor) will have a good idea of where he wants to play him and he’s very capable of playing in both positions.”
Hakeem Odoffin joined Hamilton from Livingston on a free transfer in 2020 and that turned out to be fantastic piece of business for the New Douglas Park side as he was sold to Rotherham United for a six-figure fee a year later.
Some fans have compared the two signings but Martindale said: “I can’t see the comparison between the two players to be honest, apart from the fact they’ve both come from Livingston.
"Steve is a better footballer than Hakeem technically and Hakeem is a wee bit similar to Alex Gogic and likes to break the ball up.
"Steve prefers to get on the ball, make box-to-box runs and pick out passes so they’re totally different type of players for me.”
Accies fans could get their first glimpse of the new signing in today's Championship clash at home to Ayr United.
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