Accies suffer another 4-0 hammering at home to Hearts

Aug 26 2010 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser

HAMILTON suffered their second consecutive four-goal SPL defeat as Hearts ran riot at New Douglas Park on Saturday.

Boss Billy Reid made two changes from the 4-0 defeat at Aberdeen, with David Buchanan and Gary McDonald making way for Brian McQueen and Joel Thomas.

Hearts got off to the best possible start in six minutes when Calum Elliot was given far too much time and space on the edge of the box and he curled the ball into the left-hand corner to leave Tomas Cerny with no chance.

The Tynecastle club were now in the mood and only a great saving tackle by Dougie Imrie prevented Ismael Bouzid from scoring in the 20th minute.

But Hearts didn’t have to wait long for their second goal thanks to a comedy of errors from the Hamilton backline.

First debut boy Brian McQueen fired an ambitious passback at Cerny, then Simon Mensing launched a 25-yard ‘clearance’ at his under-pressure keeper.

Cerny was forced to attempt a diving headed clearance but missed the ball, which was then played to the edge of the box where David Templeton had two attempts before drilling home.

Hamilton were left fuming two minutes into the second half when referee Stephen Finnie ignored a push on Marco Paixao inside the box.

Seconds later, half-time sub Jim McAlister put in a good tackle on Lee Wallace in the box, and while Hearts claimed hopefully for a penalty, again nothing was given.

Accies nearly pulled a goal back in 49 minutes when an Imrie cross from the left was met by the head of Flavio Paixao, but it cannoned off the junction of crossbar and post and bounced to safety, with Hearts keeper Marian Kello a helpless bystander.

McAlister had another appeal for a penalty turned away after failing to connect with an Imrie cross, the Accies player claiming he was pushed.

Hamilton were given encouragement when Hearts were reduced to 10 men in 61 minutes – Ruben Palazuelos shown a second yellow card for a high tackle on Marco Paixao – but the home side struggled to maximise their man advantage.

Accies’ didn’t get forward with any purpose again until the 70th minute when Marco Paixao sent a header flashing past from a McAlister set-up.

Ten-man Hearts then hit Accies with a knockout blow on 76 minutes when Elliot was again given too much space as he bore down on goal. Martin Canning chased and the visiting forward put the ball too far ahead of himself with Cerny closing in.

The simple option was to go down inside the box, so he did and Canning was promptly shown a straight red.

There was very little contact but that doesn’t change the fact that Canning shouldn’t have dived in.

Sub Kevin Kyle stepped up and confidently fired the ball into the top corner to effectively kill the game.

Hearts wrapped up a miserable day for Hamilton in 81 minutes when Elliot mugged Kyle Wilkie in midfield, ran down the right and drilled a low shot past Cerny.

HAMILTON: Cerny, Ross (McAlister, 46), Skelton, Canning, McQueen (McDonald, 65), Wilkie, Mensing, Imrie, F. Paixao, Thomas, M. Paixao. Subs (not used): Murdoch, Graham, Lyle, Kirkpatrick, Routledge.

Booked: Thomas.

Sent off: Canning.

HEARTS: Kello, Wallace, Barr, Bouzid, Zaliukas, Templeton (Mrowiec, 63), Palazuelos, Black (McGowan, 78), C. Thomson, Elliot, Santana (Kyle, 69). Subs (not used): Balogh, Novikovas, J. Thomson, Robinson.

Booked: Thomson, Palazuelos.

Sent off: Palazuelos.

Referee: Stephen Finnie.

Attendance: 2899.

Advertiser Man of the Match: Dougie Imrie – put in a hard shift.