Accies in derby victory over Motherwell

Dec 20 2008 By Chris Clements

Hamilton Accies 2 Motherwell 0

HAMILTON Accies were shown a glimmer of hope today at New Douglas Park as they beat their local rivals Motherwell 2-0.

Youngster James McCarthy opened the scoring shortly before half-time with a superb and well-timed finish inside the area, with assertions he was offside proven unfounded.

However, he was awarded with a yellow card after ref Iain Brines deemed his elaborate celebrations unacceptable.

Just before the half-time whistle, tempers flared, resulting in a tussle in front of the dugout. Motherwell’s Maros Klimpl and Accies’ Alex Neil were both booked for the incident.

Richard Offiong was a consistent menace to  the Well, but he was twice denied by keeper Graeme Smith.

Motherwell were not without their own chances and placed pressure on a resilient Hamilton. Stevie Hammell and Jim O’Brien’s shots were both wide of the mark however. Keeper Tomas Cerny tipped a Chris Porter shot over the bar before he was subbed due to injury.

McCarthy’s second early in the second half secured Accies’ position, and although they remain rooted to the bottom, it was a vital win that gave Hamilton a much-needed boost in confidence.