May strike earns win for Hamilton

Jan 17 2013 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

A Stevie May wonder-strike was enough to secure all three points as Hamilton came from a goal down to dump Cowdenbeath at New Douglas Park.

But the win will come at a cost as captain Alex Neil faces a lengthy ban after picking up his THIRD red card of the season.

Colin Cameron’s side came to South Lanarkshire hoping to arrest a run of 14 games without a win, and looked to be on their road to it as they sought to protect a 1-0 interval lead.

But substitute Grant Gillespie made all the difference as he set up two goals inside four second-half minutes to seal the win.

The first real chance of a poor first half fell to Louis Longridge in 22 minutes, but his shot flew just over the top right corner from 25 yards.

Two minutes later Gary Fisher had a shot from distance saved by Thomas Flynn and he launched the ball upfield, where a sweeping move ended when Scott Linton’s pass from the left was side-footed into the roof of the net by Kane Hemmings.

Accies had a great chance to level in 26 minutes when Ali Crawford sent a lofted ball towards the back post and Longridge succeeded in getting the ball under outrushing Flynn, but sent his shot creeping inches past the right post.

Cowdenbeath were content to soak up the pressure and hit on the counter-attack, and from one such move Ziggy Gordon was forced into a terrific block on the edge of the box to prevent a Hemmings shot from reaching Kevin Cuthbert’s goal.

However, Accies were dominant and that continued in the second half.

They got their rewards in 62 minutes when Gillespie took the ball on a run down the right wing and his cut-back was side-footed past Flynn by Jonathan Page from eight yards.

A rising Crawford shot was well held at the left post in 65 minutes, before Hamilton scored what proved to be the winner – and in some style.

Gillespie presented Stevie May with what looked like a simple pass, but the on-loan St Johnstone striker met it on the run and sent a quite brilliant strike arching over helpless Flynn and in at the top right corner from around 22 yards for his sixth goal of the season.

What looked like a comfortable win thereafter was seriously threatened in 69 minutes when captain Alex Neil, who had been booked in the first half for a challenge on Tom O’Brien, hauled back Scott Linton on halfway and really left referee Iain Brines with no option but to send him off.

That visibly lifted Cowdenbeath, but they were so far out of the game by that point that they couldn’t really create many inroads.

The closest they got was in 70 minutes when Liam Caddis’s shot was taken by Cuthbert at the second attempt as Hemmings closed in, although Hamilton’s defence threw themselves at everything to clear their lines thereafter.

Cowdenbeath boss Cameron, who had been booked before being subbed, was shown a second yellow card on the touchline and dismissed for dissent inside stoppage time.