James leads by example as Accies do Dons double

Jan 8 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

JAMES McArthur played a major role as Hamilton dumped Aberdeen at New Douglas Park then claimed home form could be the key to survival.

Stand-in skipper McArthur was pivotal in midfield as Accies shocked Jimmy Calderwood’s Dons, defeating the Granite City side for the second time in the same season for the first time since 1930.

With captain Alex Neil suspended for Hamilton’s next league outing against Inverness at home in a fortnight, James will lead his side out again and he knows it’s vital to maintain their current good form at New Douglas Park as Accies try and climb the table.

Accies have now dumped Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Aberdeen in their last three home games, without conceding a single goal.

McArthur (20) relished Saturday’s win, courtesy of a Simon Mensing penalty and a late clincher from Richard Offiong, and said: “I’ve been captain a few times this season but it’s brilliant to finally get a win.

“That was a massive game for us because we need to win games at home and we did that.

“Every game is going to be big for us and we need to take as many points as we can.

“After we play Ross County in the Scottish Cup we’ve got Inverness at home and Kilmarnock away and while that’s not a run of games that are easier, they are ones we have more chance of winning, rather than playing Celtic and Rangers every couple of weeks.

“It’s a run we need to try and take a lot of points from and we’ll go into it with confidence because in our last three home games we’ve beaten Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Aberdeen.

“But we need to keep working hard.”

Aberdeen started the brighter of the two sides and Jeffrey De Visscher saw an angled drive superbly punched over by Tomas Cerny after seven minutes.

Accies duo Brian Easton and James McCarthy then combined well to set up Offiong, but the striker stabbed his effort over after nine minutes.

Simon Mensing got himself into a great position after 12 minutes, but Easton’s cross was headed away before he could connect.

Dons captain Scott Severin sent a 30-yard free-kick over in 18 minutes, and at the other end the former Hearts stopper brilliantly headed an Easton cross away from lurking Trent McClenahan in 24 minutes.

Darren Mackie passed up a good chance in 28 minutes when a free-kick was knocked down to him by Gary McDonald, but he failed to control and the ball was cleared.

David Graham was unlucky not to score in 37 minutes when he picked up a loose ball on the right side of the box but he sent a scorching shot inches past the left post with Jamie Langfield beaten.

Aberdeen nearly made the perfect start to the second half when a defensive howler let De Visscher in, but he volleyed past the left post from eight yards out, with Cerny left for dead.

Hamilton made Aberdeen pay for that in 51 minutes when Zander Diamond tripped James McCarthy in the box and Mensing made no mistake, burying the spot-kick high into the net.

Accies nearly gifted Aberdeen an equaliser in 55 minutes when comeback defender Mark McLaughlin’s attempted headed back-pass flew into the path of Lee Miller, but the striker’s header was brilliantly turned round the post by Cerny.

Two minutes later Cerny superbly punched Miller’s blistering 20-yard free-kick over.

Mackie should have pulled his side level in 73 minutes, but somehow headed a De Visscher cross wide of the right post from almost point-blank range.

Hamilton got themselves back into the game and in 76 minutes Graham went on a run down the right flank but his low angled shot was well parried by Langfield, with the ball hacked clear from Offiong.

But Hamilton sealed the points in 78 minutes after Easton’s throw from the left was flicked on by Graham and McCarthy. Offiong launched the ball over Severin and won the race before chesting it down and lashing it across Langfield and into the bottom right corner from an acute angle.

The striker should have made it 3-0 in 87 minutes after mugging Severin on the right just outside the box, but after drawing Langfield he sent a low shot agonisingly wide of the left post.

Offiong was then given a second booking by referee Stephen Finnie for kicking the ball away and, although TV pictures suggested it was accidental, he will now miss the crucial visit of Inverness.

McArthur is confident that Hamilton can cope without their top scorer, and said: “Missing Richard is going to be a massive blow. In the last six weeks he’s really adapted, he’s been brilliant for us and is scoring goals, but we’ve got other people in the squad that can hopefully come in and do the same job as him.”

HAMILTON: Cerny, Elebert (Gibson, 76), Easton, McCarthy, Canning, McLaughlin (Swailes, 88), Offiong, McArthur, McClenahan, Graham (Lyle, 84), Mensing. Subs (not used): Murdoch, Gow, Akins, Thomas.

Sent off: Offiong. Booked: Elebert, Offiong.

ABERDEEN: Langfield, Mair, Foster, McDonald, Diamond, Severin, De Visscher, Kerr (Maguire, 79), Miller, Mackie, Aluko. Subs (not used): Bateman, Crawford, Pawlett, Hodgkiss, Paton, Smith.

Booked: Foster, Kerr.

Referee: Stephen Finnie.

Attendance: 4334.

Advertiser Man of the Match: James McArthur – bossed the midfield and played a huge part in the win.