Offiong strikes to keep Accies top

Aug 21 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON captain Alex Neil admitted Saturday’s tussle against Inverness was a scrappy affair but he was just delighted to emerge with three points.

The 1-0 win, courtesy of Richard Offiong’s sensational strike in first-half stoppage time, maintains Hamilton’s place at the top of the SPL table, and although Neil knows it’s early in the season, he hopes it indicates a major success story for the New Douglas Park club.

He said: “There wasn’t a lot of great football played but that was partly down to the sticky pitch and the way Inverness play because they like to bang it back to front.

“It was one of those games where you need to dig in and work hard for it. Inverness is a hard place to go to, and they’ve got a great home record, so we’re delighted to have gone up there and won while playing reasonably well.”

The midfield ace knows how important it is for Hamilton to get off to a great start, but says picking up points for survival is the key.

He said: “It’s good to be at the top of the league for the moment but we know there’s a lot of hard work to do and we need to pick up as many points as we can as quickly as we can, to make sure that we can compete in this league. We’ve won our first two games on merit but we won’t get carried away.”

Neil was a stand-out in what was something of a midfield battle, with neither side creating many chances of note on a pitch that didn’t look to be at its best.

Following a tense first half, Hamilton scored what proved to be the winner in stoppage-time.

Brian Easton’s long ball down the left was missed entirely by young Jamie Duff, allowing Richard Offiong to collect the loose ball and angle his way into the box before drilling a shot low past helpless Michael Fraser and into the bottom right corner, despite Russell Duncan’s best efforts to knock the Englishman off his stride.

The goal didn’t flatter Accies, who could have gone ahead nine minutes earlier when Tony Stevenson’s corner was nodded across goal by Simon Mensing but Offiong’s close-range effort sailed over.

Caley played some neat football and weren’t without their chances, but they simply didn’t create enough to worry Tomas Cerny.

In two minutes, Chris Swailes inadvertently headed a Don Cowie cross into the path of Roy McBain, but his half-volley was comfortably saved by the Czech ’keeper but their next real chance of note wasn’t until 72 minutes when Cerny was forced to punch away a strong Dougie Imrie free-kick.

Accies should have put the result beyond doubt in 83 minutes when Phil McGuire’s error just outside the box allowed substitute Mark Corcoran through, but after drawing Fraser the winger sent his low shot wide of target.

A minute later, Simon Mensing’s searing 20-yard thunderbolt was brilliantly parried by Fraser, who instinctively blocked Corcoran’s follow-up, although the former St Mirren wide man had been flagged offside.

Hamilton: Cerny, Stevenson, Easton, McCarthy (Lyle, 90), Swailes, McLaughlin, Graham (Corcoran, 57), McArthur, Offiong (Akins, 57), Neil, Mensing. Subs (not used): Murdoch, Elebert, Thomas, Sorsa. Booked: Neil, Cerny.

Advertiser Star Man: Alex Neil – he was a class act in midfield and led by example.