THE Ali Shuffle means something else in Hamilton. In these parts it is Crawford rather than Muhammad who is king, this fleet-footed, nimble midfielder who has become such an integral part of Martin Canning’s side in recent seasons. Having scored goals against both in the past, all eyes will be on Crawford once more when Accies take on first Celtic and then Rangers in the week ahead.

It will represent another chance for him to impress ahead of the transfer window re-opening in a few weeks. In fact, it is something of a surprise that he is still at the club. Crawford retains the fresh-faced look of a teenager who would struggle to get served in an off-license but he is now 25 and no longer in the first flush of youth. He is ready for the next stage of his career having been at Accies since he was at school and openly admits as much. Hamilton being the club they are, are unlikely to stand in the player’s way should an acceptable offer come in.

Crawford is presumably tired of hearing about the success stories of James McCarthy and James McArthur who both left Accies at a relatively young age and have gone on to enjoy stellar careers in England’s top flight. But he should also be encouraged that operating at a fairly unglamorous station like Hamilton need not be detrimental to a player’s future prospects. Crawford had scored eight times this season prior to yesterday’s match away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle and goalscoring, creative midfielders do not go unnoticed for too long. Crawford hopes as much, too.

“It’s nice to have people saying they are looking at me or are interested in me,” he said. “That’s flattering to hear. I’m at an age now, 25, and been here 10 years so I’ve served my time here like the others did, McCarthy and McArthur. They did their bit and then they moved on. So that’s something I’d look to do too. If it’s January or next year then so be it. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t then I’ve still got a year-and-a-half left of my contract.

“I’d like to go down to England but if another move in Scotland comes up and that is what is meant to be, then so be it. The club has not stood in players’ way in the past so I’d like to think that if it did happen for me then they wouldn’t stand in my way. But I’m a big player for Hamilton so if I went in January, for talking sake, it could be a big loss for the rest of their season. I’m here just now so I just have to focus on that.”

Crawford remains impressively philosophical that nearly seven years of solid service – he made his debut in January 2010 – has so far gone unrecognised. Instead he sees it as him accruing a welter of useful experience.

“I’m not wounded about [not getting a move yet]. I’ve come up from the Championship and we had a good first season with Alex Neil. I signed a three-year deal at that stage so if there had been interest at that stage that might have put people off as I think clubs would have had to pay a bit of money for me. Now I’ve only got a year-and-a- half left so maybe it will be a reduced fee, depending on what Hamilton are looking for.

“But I’ve been a first-team regular since I was 19 or 20 and played 200-odd games for Hamilton. That’s good experience and hopefully that can help get me to the next stage. I want to use that experience in another league. I think my consistency throughout the season is what has triggered teams to come and watch me. I’ve scored eight goals already this season and been consistent throughout. Hopefully that can continue for the rest of the season and we’ll see what happens from there.”

Crawford has already sealed a place in Accies folklore, scoring the only goal of the game when Hamilton won at Celtic Park in 2014 for the first time since before the war. He further embellished his burgeoning reputation by spoiling Rangers’ Championship flag-day with a goal on the opening day of this season at Ibrox. Given Accies traditionally don’t carry a big away support, often there is more joy to be had from silencing the home fans.

“I’ve been lucky enough to score against Celtic at Parkhead and Rangers at Ibrox, two of the biggest goals I’ve scored in my career. Hamilton don’t have that many fans so you probably get more out of the mumps and moans after I score at Rangers or Celtic then the cheers you get here.

“There are two big games coming up live on TV against the best teams in the league so that’s something you should thrive on. You can’t hide away or be nervous. I’ve scored against the two of them in the past so if I can do the same that would be great.”