Accies denied full points in 0-0 derby draw with Motherwell

Feb 18 2010 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

SIMON Mensing was left cursing Motherwell keeper John Ruddy for denying him a priceless winner.

The on-loan Everton shot-stopper produced a simply breathtaking save to deny Mensing a headed opener from point-blank range in 58 minutes.

Moments later Ruddy produced similar heroics to stop Mark McLaughlin from heading a winner from a James McArthur cross.

Mensing admits he thought he had scored and said: “It was a great ball in from Marco Paixao and I thought I had made a good enough connection on it.

“I looked around and thought it was in, but then I saw that Ruddy had got a hand onto it, so it wasn’t to be.

“We’re delighted to have taken four points out of six. We played extremely well at Tannadice and kept clean sheets in both of the games, so hopefully we’re heading in the right direction.”

Hamilton started well and in six minutes Ruddy was called into action to brilliantly block a searing Marco Paixao drive from the left after good set-up play by Dougie Imrie.

Four minutes later Brian Easton floated a free-kick into the box and McLaughlin beat Ruddy to the ball, but his glancing header crashed off the crossbar.

Hamilton were denied a stonewall penalty in 26 minutes when Trent McClenahan picked up possession on the right wing, checked inside and sent in a left-footed cross, but although Imrie was clearly held by ’Well captain Stephen Craigan, referee Charlie Richmond wasn’t interested.

Motherwell came into the game and in 27 minutes Jim O’Brien’s cross was headed down by John Sutton but Giles Coke blasted over.

Four minutes later Tom Hateley sent a 25-yard free-kick just past the top left corner with Tomas Cerny beaten.

When Ruddy slipped up with an attempted kick-out Martin Canning was quick to react, but his 40-yard lob failed to trouble the keeper in 39 minutes.

Ruddy then came to Motherwell’s rescue with two top saves to deny Mensing and McLaughlin as Accies chased a winner in the second half against a jaded-looking Motherwell.

Poor defending nearly cost the Steelmen again in 61 minutes, with Mensing pouncing on the loose ball, but Ruddy recovered to block the midfielder’s shot.

Brian Easton picked out Flavio Paixao with a great cross in 66 minutes but his chip was deflected past the left post.

Motherwell nearly stole the points in 69 minutes when Stephen Craigan’s long ball over the top released Sutton. Linesman Stephen Mitchell failed to spot a fairly obvious offside, but the striker blasted well over in any case.

A slip by McArthur then let Steve Jennings through on goal in stoppage time, but he blazed over.

Mensing is now turning his attention to Sunday’s clash against Hearts at Tynecastle.

He said: “It will be a hard game, it’s a tough place to go to, but we’ll take the positives from the last two games into this one and we go into it with confidence.”

HAMILTON: Cerny, Canning, McLaughlin, Easton, Elebert (Elliott, 78), McClenahan, Mensing, McArthur, F. Paixao (Thomas, 88), M. Paixao (Wilkie, 78), Imrie. Subs (not used): Murdoch, van Zanten, Evans, Crawford.

Booked: M. Paixao.

MOTHERWELL: Ruddy, Hammell, Reynolds, Craigan, Coke (Humphrey, 55), Jennings, Lasley, Hateley, Jutkiewicz (Murphy, 75), Sutton, O’Brien (McGlinchey, 55). Subs (not used): Fraser, Forbes, McHugh, Saunders.

Booked: Jennings, Hateley.

Referee: Charlie Richmond.

Attendance: 3133.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Mark McLaughlin – big defender kept things tight at the back and nearly scored at the other end.