Cerny commits to the Accies cause

Apr 16 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

GOALKEEPER Tomas Cerny saved Hamilton from crashing to a heavy defeat against Dundee United on Saturday, and then revealed he hopes a deal can be done to keep him at New Douglas Park.

The club are in negotiations with Czech club SK Sigma Olomouc to bring Cerny to Hamilton on a permanent basis, and the 24-year-old is keen to stay.

He said: “I don’t know what is happening. I agreed with Hamilton because I would like to stay but now I have to wait to see if the clubs can sort things out.

“There’s nothing I can do about it, all I can do is wait for the decision at the end of the season.”

Tomas admitted Hamilton survived a first-half onslaught which could have left them dead and buried.

He said: “In the first half we didn’t start the game very well, and to be honest we were probably quite lucky to survive the first half only 1-0 down.

“In the second half I thought we played well, created a few chances, but again we didn’t take them.

“We haven’t scored for a while, so that’s the main reason we haven’t been winning games.

“Saturday’s game at Inverness is a big one, but for us now every game will be a cup final.

“We need to start scoring goals and look to improve our performances. I hope we can win a few more games and stay in the league.”

Over the piece Dundee United deserved the win, and Hamilton had Cerny to thank for several top quality saves in the first half.

While Hamilton came into the game much more in the second half, lack of a cutting edge up front continued to haunt them for the sixth successive SPL match.

United took the lead in four minutes when Franco Sandaza darted down the right.

Believing the ball to have crossed the bye-line before Sandaza cut it back, Hamilton’s defence appeared to stop and that allowed Craig Conway the time and space to rifle low past Cerny.

Two minutes later Paul McGowan appeared to have been bundled over by Paul Dixon in the box as he went for a Mark McLaughlin cross, but referee Calum Murray wasn’t interested.

Cerny recovered brilliantly to block after Sandaza had rounded him, and reacted quickly to block Shala’s follow-up effort in 18 minutes.

United should have been reduced to 10 men in 21 minutes when Lee Wilkie crudely took out James McCarthy just over halfway with a challenge that wasn’t even remotely close to the ball, but referee Murray saw fit only to flash a yellow.

A minute later Shala and Prince Buaben had shots blocked by Cerny in quick succession.

And Cerny blocked superbly from Conway in 26 minutes after he had taken a Dixon throw-in on his chest and turned, before unleashing a ferocious shot from 25 yards.

Hamilton came back into the game in 38 minutes when James McArthur and James McCarthy linked well down the right to set up Simon Mensing, but the midfielder’s low effort was blocked for a corner.

United threatened again in 42 minutes when Dixon’s cutback from the left was headed past Cerny by Shala, only to see it crash off the crossbar.

Accies boss Billy Reid threw on James Gibson and Joel Thomas for Brian Easton and McGowan at the interval, and it seemed to spark more life into his side.

Five minutes into the half Alex Neil and McArthur linked well to find McCarthy midway through the half.

McCarthy played a neat one-two with Mensing, but his low shot was punched clear by Lukasz Zaluska.

United survived a decent penalty claim in 62 minutes when sub Derek Asamoah was clearly held by Dixon, but again referee Murray wasn’t interested.

A good United move down the left in 75 minutes ended when James Wesolowski’s tame effort was held by Cerny.

Eight minutes from time McArthur picked out McCarthy with a neat crossfield pass, but the young midfielder’s effort was saved at the bottom right corner.

A minute later Thomas’s shot on the turn at the right bye-line was punched clear of the near post by Zaluska.

Hamilton could have snatched an ill-deserved point inside stoppage time when Martin Canning released McCarthy but Zaluska blocked with his feet when the midfielder probably should have scored.

HAMILTON: Cerny, Easton (Gibson, 45), McClenahan, Swailes (Asamoah, 59), Canning, McLaughlin, McArthur, Neil, Mensing, McGowan (Thomas, 45), McCarthy. Subs (not used): Murdoch, Evans, Deuchar, Lyle.

Booked: McArthur, Thomas.

DUNDEE UNITED: Zaluska, Dixon, Caddis, Wilkie, Kenneth, Conway (Swanson, 89), Buaben, Wesolowski, Robertson, Shala, Sandaza (Goodwillie, 81). Subs (not used): McGovern, Dillon, Swanson, Kovacevic, McCord, Smith.

Booked: Wilkie, Shala.

Referee: Calum Murray.

Attendance: 3025.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Tomas Cerny – but for the Czech this defeat would have been higher.