Accies' Dougie Imrie disappointed over Motherwell game

Feb 11 2010 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

DOUGIE Imrie was disappointed that his derby debut for Hamilton ended in defeat at Motherwell, but is confident that his new side will beat the drop.

Imrie was instrumental in much of Hamilton’s positive play on a shocking surface at Fir Park, but ended up on the losing side.

He said: “It was disappointing to lose. I thought it was a close game. Motherwell got the break from a corner and a couple of boys tried to clear it but weren’t able to get there and Lukas Jutkiewicz has poked a toe in and put it through Tomas Cerny’s legs.

“It would have been good to get the goal and for Accies to have done well, but it wasn’t to be.

“I thought we should have had a penalty at the end when Flavio was pushed and I don’t know how the referee and linesman didn’t see it, but you never seem to get anything when you’re down there.

“That was disappointing but hopefully in the coming weeks the tide will turn for us.”

On the patched-up surface that passes for Motherwell’s pitch these days there wasn’t much to write home about as neither side was able to really get to grips with the game.

Motherwell probably edged it in the first half but failed to trouble Tomas Cerny.

It took until the 35th minute for a decent chance to appear, when John Sutton’s shot on the turn slipped past the right post from 16 yards.

A minute later Tom Hateley put a 25-yard free-kick just past the left upright.

Accies nearly grabbed the lead on the stroke of half-time when Imrie’s cross from the right picked out Marco Paixao at the far post, but his hitch-kick was well taken by John Ruddy at the left post from close range.

Ineffective Joel Thomas was hooked at the interval and replaced by Flavio Paixao, with Imrie pushed up through the middle.

Hamilton had to weather a storm at the start of the second half, though, and Jim O’Brien’s shot was well blocked by Cerny after a good run down the left in 48 minutes.

Hamilton were denied a good chance in 55 minutes when Flavio Paixao prepared to race onto a superb through-ball – only for it to stop dead on a particularly muddy part of the surface.

Hamilton nearly scored in 62 minutes.

Imrie’s free-kick from the right found James McArthur and his shot was deflected over.

Brian Easton’s corner from the right was met with a superb scissors-kick by Simon Mensing, but Ruddy scrambled it off his line.

But six minutes later Motherwell scored the winner when Hateley’s corner on the right was nodded down by Stephen Craigan and Jutkiewicz nipped in between David Van Zanten and Mensing to prod the ball home.

Young Kyle Wilkie tried his luck with an audacious 30-yard lob in 84 minutes as Accies tried to level, but Ruddy saved well.

Hamilton were denied the first of two decent penalty appeals in 88 minutes when Imrie picked out Easton in the box, only for the big defender to be bundled off the ball, but referee Mike Tumilty wasn’t interested.

But the official left Accies’ bench hopping mad in the last minute of stoppage time. Van Zanten’s free-kick caused havoc in the box and a crude challenge by Chris Humphrey prevented Flavio Paixao from equalising – but again no penalty.

Motherwell: Ruddy, Hammell, Reynolds, Craigan, Coke (Fitzpatrick 76, Saunders, 79), Jennings, Jutkiewicz, Sutton (Humphrey, 70), Lasley, O’Brien, Hateley. Subs (not used): Fraser, Murphy, Forbes, McHugh.

Booked: Hammell.

Hamilton: Cerny, Van Zanten, Canning, Elebert, Easton, Mensing, McArthur, Sullivan (Wilkie, 63), M. Paixao (Elliott, 76), Thomas (F. Paixao, 46), Imrie. Subs (not used): Murdoch, Hastings, Evans, Crawford.

Booked: Imrie.

Referee: Mike Tumilty.

Attendance: 4777.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Dougie Imrie – tried to make things happen.