Accies leave it late but make their point

Mar 5 2008 By Andy McGilvray

Queen of the South 2 Hamilton 2

SUPER-SUB James McCarthy grabbed a last-minute equaliser to earn Hamilton a precious point from a scrappy encounter with Queen of the South on Saturday.

Despite not being at their best, Accies showed terrific resilience to fight back from two quick-fire goals by on-form Queens, who stretched their unbeaten run to nine games.

Both sides had reason to feel aggrieved at the performance of referee Chris Boyle, who made some poor decisions.

Queens’ leveller came from a free-kick wrongly awarded when Mark McLaughlin appeared to have cleanly won the ball.

The Dumfries side then claimed a push during the build-up to Hamilton’s late leveller and were annoyed at stand-in captain Stevie Tosh’s dismissal.

In truth Mr Boyle did well to keep Tosh on for as long as he did, despite numerous instances of petty fouling and dissent — but also a shocking raking of the studs down David Graham’s calf which could have merited a straight red card on another day.

Hamilton made two changes from last weekend’s side, as Chris Swailes came in for captain Alex Neil and Mark Gilhaney was on the bench, with boss Billy Reid handing James Grady his first start since moving from Gretna in January.

Queens threatened first in 12 minutes when winger Paul Burns’ vicious 20-yard snap-shot was punched past the right post by Tomas Cerny.

But Hamilton opened the scoring in 22 minutes when Grady headed a Cerny kick-out to Richard Offiong. The striker’s shot was blocked but Grady reacted fastest to slam the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

Eight minutes later, McLaughlin was harshly penalised on the edge of his box and Jamie McQuilken fired a fierce free-kick on goal.

Rather than punch the ball past, however, Cerny bizarrely parried the ball back into a crowded goalmouth and Stephen Dobbie drilled it home from close range via the right post.

Hamilton could have regained their lead in 33 minutes when a good move involving Simon Mensing, Graham and Brian Easton set up Offiong but the striker tamely headed over.

Sixty seconds later, Tosh was sent clear on the right but his angled drive flashed wide of the left post, with referee Boyle inexplicably awarding a corner.

But Queens went ahead in 36 minutes when McQuilken’s free-kick on the left was nodded on by John O’Neill, and Dobbie. who had darted in on a diagonal run from the right. headed past the helpless Cerny from close range.

Dobbie nearly added a third in 43 minutes but sent a fizzing volley past the right post from 16 yards.

Queens threatened again two minutes into the second half when Mensing was forced to clear a McQuilken corner from Dobbie.

Hamilton could have levelled in 54 minutes when Graham’s cross from the left was glanced past the near post by Offiong with Jamie MacDonald well beaten.

Cerny had flapped at a few corners and crosses and McQuilken tried his luck with a cheeky chip from an acute angle on the left in 56 minutes but the ball landed on the roof of the net.

Dobbie could have grabbed his hat-trick in 61 minutes when he was sent through on the right but Cerny raced off his line to block.

In a good counter-attacking move in 62 minutes, Graham raced through the middle and was crudely caught by Tosh just as he sent the ball wide right to Grady, but he blasted over from a good position.

Tosh was booked before play resumed, and was quite fortunate only to receive a caution.

A good Hamilton move down the right then ended with Offiong sending a low cutback towards Grady but the striker couldn’t connect and felt he was fouled in the process.

Andy Aitken came to Queens’ rescue in 71 minutes, clearing off his line after Mark McLaughlin had bulleted a header past MacDonald from Tony Stevenson’s free-kick.

When the ball was played back in, MacDonald brilliantly saved a close-range Mensing effort.

James McArthur was forced to clear off his line after Tosh had sent a powerful angled drive flashing past Cerny in 76 minutes.

Billy Reid threw all three subs on between the 75th and 80th minutes, with Andy Waterworth replacing Grady, Mark Gilhaney coming on for Stevenson, and Mensing making way for McCarthy.

Waterworth nearly made an impact in 83 minutes when he latched onto Easton’s pass but MacDonald superbly turned his point-blank effort past the left post.

As time ran out, Offiong sent a disappointing 25-yard free-kick over.

But in the dying seconds McArthur’s head-flick found McCarthy on the right and he darted through before blasting a low shot under MacDonald and into the bottom left corner for a deserved equaliser.

Hamilton: Cerny, Stevenson (Gilhaney, 77), Easton, Swailes, Elebert, McLaughlin, Graham, McArthur, Offiong, Mensing (McCarthy, 80), Grady (Waterworth, 75). Subs (not used): Gibson, Halliwell.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Chris Swailes — solid performance throughout.

Picture by Andy Clinton.