Easton sounds alarm after visitors prevail

Oct 23 2008 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

BRIAN Easton has warned his team-mates that they can’t keep making the same mistakes if they are to survive the cut-throat SPL.

Easton was bitterly disappointed after Saturday’s slim defeat against St Mirren, but hopes his side can bounce back against Rangers – although he acknowledges the scale of the job at hand.

The young defender said: “We played well and controlled long spells in the game on Saturday, but a bit of slack defending let us down. We’ve made mistakes and been punished for it.

“We’re not playing badly but still losing games and that is very frustrating. Sometimes after a defeat you can live with it and pick yourself up for the next game, but the same things are happening every week. We’re giving away opportunities and not taking our own chances and we need to stop that.”

On the visit of Walter Smith’s side, Eastie said: “It’s a hard game to bounce back from after a few defeats on the trot, but it’s one we’re looking forward to.

“It’s a chance to go and test ourselves and since we’re playing at home we can maybe even take something from the game, but it’s going to be a hard one.

“Taking something against Rangers would probably be the biggest result of our lives in one of the biggest games of our lives, as was the case at Celtic Park.

“We went there thinking we could maybe take something and even though we got beat 4-0 we’re still learning from it. I think we gave Celtic too much respect, and on Saturday we’ve got to go out and try to play our own game.”

Hamilton will need far more of a cutting edge up front if they are to inflict damage on the title-chasing Ibrox side.

Accies started the game well and in just four minutes Saints keeper Mark Howard was forced to claw an inswinging David Graham corner away from the top-right corner.

Eight minutes later captain Alex Neil delivered a great crossfield pass to Richard Offiong on the right wing, but the striker’s bullet cross was inches ahead of James McArthur, when a touch would almost certainly have resulted in a goal.

Moments later, Graham’s cross from the right was headed over by Offiong.

St Mirren made Hamilton pay for that profligacy with their first attack in 16 minutes, which ended when Dennis Wyness picked out Franco Miranda and he rifled a low shot into the bottom-right corner, past the despairing dive of Tomas Cerny.

Ten minutes later Accies were level when Mark Corcoran’s free-kick on the right flew past Howard, via a slight deflection off defender Jack Ross, although the Hamilton winger was credited with the goal.

A Gary Brady corner was cleared out to Corcoran in 31 minutes and the winger darted down the left before earning a corner, but Graham’s set-piece was headed just over by Martin Canning.

James McCarthy went on a good run seconds later, but his shot flew over the crossbar.

Saints were awarded a controversial penalty in 32 minutes when Simon Mensing was harshly judged to have tugged Steven Robb’s shirt in the box.

Billy Mehmet stepped up and his spot-kick was blocked by Cerny, who also saved his headed rebound – justice done, perhaps?

However, St Mirren scored what proved to be the winner in 41 minutes.

Miranda’s cross from the left was headed by Mehmet, Cerny misjudged the ball’s flight and it struck off Chris Swailes on its way into the net. Mehmet was again credited with the goal.

Saints should have wrapped up the points in 61 minutes when Brady picked out Robb in acres of space, but his controlled shot was blocked on the line by Cerny. Mehmet somehow fired the rebound wide of the right post, but a team-mate picked it up and crossed again, with the striker this time heading over.

Ten minutes later Neil’s cross from the left was stabbed just past the right post by James McArthur.

A superb Easton pass released Offing in 73 minutes, but the English striker blasted high and wide.

Sub Chris Casement – who replaced Mensing at the interval – picked out Easton in 75 minutes, but the defender headed wide of the left post.

Hamilton: Cerny, Mensing (Casement, 46), Easton, McCarthy, Swailes, Canning, Corcoran (Akins, 68), McArthur, Offiong, Neil, Graham (Ettien, 59). Subs (not used): Murdoch, Elebert, Taylor, Lyle. Booked: Neil, Offiong.

St Mirren: Howard, Ross, Miranda, Mason, Haining, Potter, Murray (Dorman, 78), Mehmet, Wyness (Dargo, 74), Brady, Robb (McGinn, 74). Subs (not used): Smith, McAusland, McShane, Cuthbert. Booked: Potter.

Referee: David Somers.

Attendance: 3397.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Alex Neil – worked hard in midfield to keep things together and was unlucky to end up on a losing side.