A night on the tiles has a whole new meaning for Hamilton’s Blair Alston

Blair Alston could never be accused of not keeping his options open.

Released by Hamilton Accies this summer, the 28-year-old has had indications of interest from clubs in both the Premiership and Championship.

Three years into a business degree with the Open University, he will resume his online studies in September.

And for good measure, he has just completed an intensive tiling course, which has put him down the road to a trade that is always in demand.

“I have a few friends who are plumbers and joiners and enjoy their work. So when the Players Union made places available to us, I thought, ‘Why not?’” said the midfielder.

“Football is definitely my preferred way of earning a living and, with a bit of luck, I will be able to get myself a new club sorted out in the next couple of weeks.

“But we are living in a very uncertain time just now because of the coronavirus, so you can’t take anything for granted.

“My business studies are great and were my original plan in terms of giving myself a way to earn a living after football.

“That’s a bit longer-term, however. I am doing my studies part-time, and still have three years to go.

“What the union have been advising is that players should try to think about jobs they can do right now to bring cash in.

“Tiling would be one possibility and I really enjoyed it. I was quite pleased with the knowledge I picked up and plan to do some round the house.

“After that, maybe for relatives and see where it goes. If the word of mouth is good, I might be busy.”

The opening of the Scottish transfer window last week has seen a flurry of deals up and down the country, involving clubs of varying sizes.

Alston argues the impression they give of a hectic period ahead may be misplaced.

“I think what you are seeing right now is clubs tying up signings of their top targets, guys they have been after for some time,” he said.

“But that’s likely to stop because they won’t want to have to pay players for the next couple of months if they don’t need to.

“In an extreme example, you might have clubs sitting with three players (as Queen of the South are doing) and then scrambling to assemble a squad at the last minute.

“That will probably be exciting for fans. For many players, though, it is likely to mean a nervous summer ahead, waiting to see if they can get themselves fixed up.

“People from all walks of life are going to face challenges as a result of Covid-19. Footballers are no different. We are just a bit more high-profile.

“If you have the chance to do something positive to increase the possibilities open to you, then it only makes sense to do so.”