Hamilton boss Martin Canning is delighted that his predecessor at The Accies, Alex Neil, has proved him right by leading Norwich City to the Championship play-offs.

Canning has previously claimed that his long-time friend Neil is a manager on the rise but not many people agreed with his assessment.

Neil joined the Canaries from Hamilton in January and has led the club to a third-place finish ahead of their two-legged play-off semi-final against Ipswich Town.

"I'll have a chat with Alex this week and see how he is preparing," said Canning in the Daily Mail. "It's a big week coming up for him and, hopefully, he can do the job.

"It would be a huge achievement if he could do it and take Norwich into the Premier League. But everyone at this club has known for a long time what he is about. He is very good at his job.

"People used to think I was over-egging things or bumming him up too much because he was my mate.

"I used to say to family and friends that Alex was excellent and that he really had something as a manager. They thought I was always going to say that just because he's my pal.

"But what has happened in England shows I'm right. My friends and family now think I know what I'm talking about!"

Neil's Norwich will take on local rivals Ipswich in the first leg of the play-off semi-final on Saturday at Portman Road.