Accies make their point against Pars

Mar 13 2008 By Andy McGilvray at East End Park

Dunfermline 1 Hamilton Accies 1

HAMILTON Accies were forced to settle for a point on Tuesday after being held to a draw by battling Dunfermline.

On a freezing cold night dominated by swirling wind and driving rain, neither side were able to play in the style to which they are accustomed.

And although Hamilton edged it on their second-half performance, a point each was probably a fair outcome.

Accies travelled to Fife with three changes to Saturday’s line-up, as James McArthur and Alex Neil resumed their places at the expense of Tony Stevenson and injured Tom Parratt.

Xavier Barrau was also handed a rare start in place of Mark Gilhaney, but lasted only 35 minutes before that was reversed.

Dunfermline started brightly and took the lead from the spot after 10 minutes.

Scott Thomson’s header from a Stephen Glass was parried into the path of Stephen Simmons by keeper Tomas Cerny, who was then judged to have fouled the Pars defender.

Glass buried the spot-kick.

Accies nearly fell further behind in 22 minutes when a slack McArthur pass gifted possession to Mark Burchill and he raced in on goal before his angled drive was palmed out by Cerny, with Stevie Crawford somehow scooping the rebound over.

Hamilton carved a good chance five minutes later when Neil’s cross was flicked on by Richard Offiong, but Pars keeper Paul Gallacher superbly tipped David Elebert’s looping header onto the bar.

In 32 minutes Calum Woods played a neat one-two with Nicky Phinn before unleashing a 22-yard drive inches past the top right corner.

But Hamilton levelled in 39 minutes when David Graham bore down on goal from the left and the ball broke to Offiong, who drilled it into the bottom-left corner for his 19th goal of the season.

In 50 minutes Graham was sent through on goal only for Gallacher to block well.

Eight minutes later Alex Burke tried an audacious chip from a tight angle on the left, but Cerny wasn’t troubled.

Elebert was desperately short with a passback in 69 minutes as Burke burst through, but Cerny cleared the danger.

Phinn went on a run down the left a minute later before setting up Crawford, but the veteran striker’s effort was blocked by Cerny.

In 75 minutes Offiong was inches away from heading Accies into the lead from McArthur’s cross.

Following a defensive error in 84 minutes, Gallacher was forced to rush off his line to block from Gilhaney, with fellow sub Andy Waterworth seeing his follow-up blocked.

But in the final minute sub Kevin Harper’s inviting cross from the right was just missed by Pars boss Jim McIntyre at the back post.

DUNFERMLINE: Gallacher, Woods, Wilson, Simmons, Thomson (Shields, 45), Morrison, Phinn (Harper, 75), Glass, Burchill, Crawford (McIntyre, 82), Burke. Subs (not used): Willis, Murdoch.

Booked: Glass, Simmons, Morrison.

HAMILTON: Cerny, Mensing, Easton, McCarthy (Stevenson, 75), Elebert, McLaughlin, Graham, McArthur, Offiong (Waterworth, 80), Neil, Barrau (Gilhaney, 35). Subs (not used): Gibson, Halliwell.

Referee: Calum Murray.

Attendance: 2444.

Advertiser Man-of-the-Match: David Elebert – was a rock in defence and unlucky not to score.