HAMILTON Accies have signed former West Ham full-back Trent McClenahan (below) on a free transfer. The 23-year-old Australian internationalist, a member of his country's Beijing Olympics squad, has joined Accies until the end of the season.
He was most recently at Hereford but opted not to extend his contract with the Coca-Cola League One club this summer.
He joined West Ham as a 16-year-old and had a period on loan at MK Dons before joining Hereford.
McClenahan captained the Aus
tralia Under-20 side and was part of the squad for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship.
In 2006 he was called up to train with the full team and he recently featured in the Australian team that reached the final of the Intercontinental Cup.
Yantorno well on comeback trailHIBS forward Fabian Yantorno last night agreed with Mixu Paatelainen that he needs to be shielded from first-team football – but believes he is close to being the player he once was.
The 26-year-old Uruguayan battled back from a cruciate ligament injury sustained at his former club, Gretna, in January to earn a two-year deal at Hibs in the summer. But after making his competitive bow in the opening-day SPL defeat at Kilmarnock, Yantorno (below) has failed to feature and not even made the bench in recent weeks.
Paatelainen felt he had to leave him out as the explosive sharpness that the playmaker showed when he burst on to the Scottish scene with Gretna was lacking.
However, after being put on a special intensive personal training programme over a fortnight ago, Yantonro feels he is close to returning to his old self.
Now he believes more reserve run-outs can ensure he is fully recovered so he can shine again in the top-flight.
He said: "I started special work a little over two weeks ago. I spoke to the manager as I didn't do a full pre-season with the team and I needed to do special work for my own power away from the guys.
"I've been doing squats, jumps and sprints to get my sharpness up. Without that, I'm not the player I used to be.
"But I'm on the right way now to be being 100%. You have to be patient and work hard.
"I always want to be the player I was. If I have to do work harder and do more training than the other lads, then I have to if I want to be that player again.
"I now need games, that's what's lacking. I'm not quite 100% but I'm OK and I must wait on my opportunity to come back."
The full article contains 452 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
