Point taken but Cerny is red-carded

Mar 26 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

MARK McLAUGHLIN looked on Saturday’s 0-0 draw against St Mirren as a decent result in light of goalkeeper Tomas Cerny’s 83rd-minute red card.

And the giant stopper says he’d much rather be in Hamilton’s position than that of rivals St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Inverness and Falkirk.

Cerny was correctly dismissed by referee Stephen Finnie for hauling down Saints’ Craig Dargo just outside the box but although Accies were down to 10 men the visitors never looked like winning a dour encounter.

McLaughlin, who was outstanding in defence and deservedly was the sponsors’ man of the match award, said: “We didn’t deserve the win but with Tomas getting sent off we would take the draw.

“Unfortunately Falkirk got a good 4-0 win over Inverness and that puts them only six points behind us so that drags us back into it a bit. There are eight games left and we need to see if we can get a couple of wins.”

Hamilton started well and Joel Thomas chased James McCarthy’s superb ball over the top in five minutes but despite the striker doing well to get past the last line of defence, goalkeeper Mark Howard blocked his shot.

St Mirren created a chance in 12 minutes when Garry Brady’s short corner was played by Gary Mason to Steven Thomson on the edge of the box. He picked out Craig Dargo on the left but his cross was headed past for a corner by Martin Canning.

Brady’s corner was played back to Thomson but this time Cerny held his low shot.

Hamilton went close in 33 minutes when Thomas released James Gibson on the left but his cross was headed away from James McArthur, who looked likely to score otherwise.

Three minutes later, McCarthy skipped past Scott Cuthbert on the right but his tame chip was comfortably taken by Howard.

Three minutes before half-time, McCarthy took a pass from Gibson on the right and twisted and turned his way past Cuthbert but succeeded only in striking the right post.

Billy Mehmet should have put Saints ahead in 44 minutes but a brilliant blocking tackle by Canning cleared the danger.

The second half was played at a far slower pace but Hamilton should have taken the lead in 58 minutes when Gibson sent McCarthy racing down the right and his cutback was clipped inches past the near post by Thomas.

Another defensive lapse gave Brady a sight of goal in 63 minutes and although he had time to let the ball bounce his shot flew well over from a good position.

Six minutes later, Thomas found Alex Neil on the edge of the box. His chip was returned back into the area by sub Paul McGowan but Thomas’s volley flew over.

In 82 minutes, Dargo chased a long ball and Cerny crudely upended him on the edge of the box, giving referee Stephen Finnie no option but to show a straight red card.

McCarthy was withdrawn to make way for substitute goalkeeper Sean Murdoch, while Dargo limped off, replaced by Dennis Wyness.

The extra man should have given St Mirren impetus to attack but the closest they went was when John Potter sliced a shot wide of the right post four minutes into stoppage time.

Next up for Hamilton is a trip to Celtic Park on April 4, and that is one that McLaughlin is relishing.

He explained: “I’m looking forward to that because it’s one place I have never played in my career. We’ll go there and give it a go. We’ve got nothing to loose because nobody expects us to go there and get anything.”

Hamilton: Cerny, McCarthy (Murdoch, 83), McLaughlin, Deuchar (McGowan, 54), McArthur, Neil, Thomas, Swailes, Gibson, Canning, Evans (McMillan, 76). Subs (not used): Lyle, Quinn, Diatta, Mills.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Mark McLaughlin – stand-out in defence.