Accies take giant step towards title

Feb 14 2008 Hamilton.....3 Dunfermline.....0

HAMILTON stretched their lead to seven points at the top of the Irn-Bru First Division, as Richard Offiong’s first-ever hat-trick saw Dunfermline off comfortably.

The points were in the bag by half time as Offiong took his season’s tally to 18 goals and, on a good day for Accies, Livingston held title rivals Dundee 1-1.

Accies have now beaten SPL drop-outs Dunfermline three times this season, scoring 10 goals in the process with the concession of only one.

With captain Alex Neil and defender Chris Swailes available again following suspension and defender David Elebert back in the side after recovering from a hamstring injury, James McCarthy and Tony Stevenson dropped down onto the bench, while Mark McLaughlin served his suspension.

Dunfermline started brightly and in just three minutes Bryn Halliwell was forced to rush off his line and smother the danger after Kevin Harper had latched on to a neat through-ball.

Hamilton then forced six corners in quick succession, with Elebert and David Graham having efforts blocked during the onslaught.

Mark Burchill and Alex Burke then linked well down the left for Dunfermline, with the latter seeing his effort blocked.

Hamilton should have taken the lead in nine minutes when Graham picked out Mensing in the box with a cutback from the right, but the midfielder failed to make full contact and Paul Gallacher was able to make a low save.

But Hamilton’s pressure paid off in 12 minutes when Sol Bamba pulled Graham down in the box as he darted in from the left, and referee Stephen Finnie pointed to the spot.

The award seemed slightly harsh, and Dunfermline engaged in a protracted argument with the ref, but it did look like contact was made.

Offiong stepped up and clinically dispatched the penalty into the bottom right corner, sending Gallacher the wrong way.

Seconds later Offiong was put through on goal by a superb ball from McArthur, but Bamba recovered to block his shot.

Halliwell kept his side in front in 17 minutes with a superb block from Burchill after a defensive error let the former Celtic striker through on goal, with Stevie Crawford’s follow-up effort blocked on the line by Easton.

Ten minutes later Gallacher misjudged a Mark Gilhaney drive and was relieved to see the ball hacked clear after it had cannoned off the keeper’s chest.

Hamilton should have doubled their lead in 28 minutes when Offiong split the Pars defence with a neat ball to Parratt on the right, and his cut-back was slammed just past the post by McArthur.

Hamilton finally grabbed their second goal in 35 minutes when Chris Swailes’ header released Easton on a lung-bursting 50-yard run down the left before picking out Offiong at the near post, who deftly wrong footed Gallacher with a terrific finish.

Offiong went close again in 39 minutes, sending a glancing header inches wide from Parratt’s free-kick.

Crawford saw his 22-yard drive crash off the left post in 41 minutes.

And Hamilton wrapped up the points in 43 minutes when David Graham burst down the right and his shot was parried by Gallacher into the path of Offiong, who instinctively stuck out a foot to divert the ball into the bottom corner.

Early in the second half Gilhaney set up Offiong, but the striker’s shot was well blocked by Pars skipper Scott Wilson.

Hamilton lost talented midfielder McArthur with a suspected broken nose, following an accidental collision with Bamba, and his place was taken by James McCarthy in 49 minutes.

Offiong should have grabbed his and Accies’ fourth in 68 minutes when Easton played a neat one-two with Gilhaney before sending an inviting cross to the back post, but the striker failed to make proper contact.

Hamilton closed out the second half while Dunfermline, possibly on a damage-limitation exercise, failed to hurt their hosts on the counter-attack.

HAMILTON: Halliwell, Parratt, Easton, Mensing (Stevenson, 83), Elebert, Swailes, Graham, McArthur (McCarthy, 49), Offiong (Waterworth, 81), Neil, Gilhaney. Subs (not used): Grady, Cerny. Booked: Parratt, Graham, Elebert.

DUNFERMLINE: Gallacher, Woods, S. Morrison, Simmons (Phinn, 44), Wilson, Bamba, Harper, Glass, Burchill, Crawford (McManus, 66), Burke (O. Morrison, 74). Subs (not used): Howie, Murdoch. Booked: Phinn, Wilson, McManus, Harper.

Referee: Stephen Finnie.

Attendance: 2034.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Richard Offiong – for a superb hat-trick.

Pics by Andy Clinton