Offiong bags match ball

Feb 14 2008

HAMILTON hero Richard Offiong dumped Dunfermline with his first senior hat-trick on Saturday and immediately set his sights on St Johnstone.

Offiong’s treble earned Hamilton a comfortable 3-0 win over Dunfermline, and took his tally for the season to 18.

Hamilton’s win was compounded by Dundee’s 1-1 draw at Livingston, which put the New Douglas Park side seven points clear at the top of the Irn-Bru First Division.

But Offiong knows just how important Saturday’s McDiarmid Park clash is to Accies’ championship aspirations.

He said: “Everyone’s buzzing, and Dundee dropped another two points so that’s us seven points clear.

“We just want to keep the run going and hopefully we’ll be top at the end of the season.

“We need to go to St Johnstone and get a result there, and that’s what we’ll be going for.

“It’s a massive game, every one is like a cup final now for us, so I think if we do get a result up there it’s a massive step.

“We’ll be going for a win, but our main concern is not to lose it.”

Offiong was delighted to bag his hat-trick and doesn’t care if his opener came from a controversial penalty.

He said: “That’s the first hat-trick of my career, and after scoring a few doubles I’m delighted to finally get one for Hamilton.

“I didn’t have the best view of the penalty, but I wasn’t complaining that it was given.

“The other two goals were from close in. I haven’t really scored many of those, but it’s something that I’ve been working on, so I was delighted.

“I went through a dry patch, which happens with strikers, but you’ve just got to keep focused, keep working hard and hopefully your luck will come.

“That’s 18 for the season, I’m delighted with that, and I just want to keep scoring.”