Teenager Greg Docherty has been at Hamilton Academical for 10 years

By Kenny Crawford BBC Sport Scotland

Greg Docherty cannot really be criticised for taking a decade to score his first senior Hamilton Accies goal - because he is only 18 years old.

The midfielder equalised against Partick Thistle on Saturday, nearly 10 years after joining the club aged nine.

"I come hoping to make the bench so I'd never have dreamt of coming on and scoring," Docherty told BBC Scotland.

"I didn't know what to do when I scored - all the boys were telling me to calm down; I'm over the moon."

Docherty's back-post header from a corner in the 85th minute helped Accies almost guarantee seventh place in the Scottish Premiership.

The New Douglas Park side are five points ahead of Partick Thistle with two games remaining.

Hamilton's Greg Docherty watches his header hit the back of the net

"I wasn't thinking about that at the time but I was speaking to the chairman after the game and he said it's a very valuable point so I'm delighted in that sense as well," he said.

"I'm from Milngavie and all my friends are Thistle fans, so it makes it even better to score against them.

"I actually got scouted on my ninth birthday so in September it'll be my 10th year here. I've come through every age group of the youth so to score in the first team, I'd never have imagined it.

"Guillaume Beuzelin, the assistant manager, actually told me to go round to the back post for my goal."

Docherty, who is under contract until 2017, made his Hamilton debut in the Championship last season but credits several of the South Lanarkshire club's coaching staff for helping him make a top-flight appearance.

Docherty on Docherty "I like getting into the box, running at defenders and using my strength and power a bit. I love to take players on and score goals."

Manager Martin Canning, head of youth George Cairns and his predecessor Frankie McAvoy - now Alex Neil's assistant at Norwich - all get a mention, but Docherty emphasised the effect of French assistant boss Beuzelin.

"He's brilliant with the boys," he added. "His drills are really good and he's probably still better than most of us - he does the drills with us and shows us up quite a lot! Him and the gaffer are brilliant.

"Frankie McAvoy and George Cairns were both there since I was there on day one and they've backed me every step of the way.

"They told me to keep believing my chance would come and I've just kept my head down and worked hard. Hopefully I can keep myself in the manager's head, kick on from here and score many more."