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HAMILTON 2 : 2 QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 10th February 2007
MacDonald
Rating: 7.65
Paton
Rating: 5.33
Thomson
Rating: 5.94
Lauchlan
Rating: 5.58
McQuilken
Rating: 6.06
Tosh
Rating: 6.32
S2 1
Adams
Rating: 7.09
Scally
Rating: 6.62
Murray
Rating: 6.64
1 S3
Dobbie
Rating: 7.35
S1
Barrowman
Rating: 5.85
SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 46
Gibson
Rating: 5.06
S2 - 53
O'Neill
Rating: 4.61
S3 - 83
O'Connor
Weir
Corr
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Name or IFC No.
MATCH SUMMARY
Come the end of the season this may very well be seen as a very good point to have gotten. We didn't win the game, but having been second best for a good bit of it and behind twice, to have negotiated a tricky away fixture undefeated and having lost no ground on anybody else (and gained a point on Clyde) is not a bad result.

Ian McCall made two changes for the trip to New Douglas Park, not normally a happy hunting ground for Queens. Reluctant to risk Sean O'Connor's notoriously dodgy knee on the artificial surface, Andrew Barrowman made his first start of his second spell with the club whilst Stevie Murray, unavailable last week due to being cup-tied, returned to the side with Willie Gibson the player to miss out. John O'Neill also returned to a spot on a very attacking substitutes bench as Henderson and Robertson dropped out of the squad. Accies were without the long term injured McEwan and McLaughlin as well as the suspended Wilson but were otherwise full strength and in better shape than they have been for a while, with the dangerous Offiong starting up front.

Queens come out of defence
Accies started quickly and within the first minute Gilhaney had set up Offiong for a shot over the bar from 18 yards. Queens responded though and a fabulous crossfield pass from Murray released Tosh and though his initial ball in wasn't good enough, Jamie Adams charged down the clearance and spun a shot just over the bar. It was the home side who made the early breakthrough though and it arrived on ten minutes as Gilhaney was tripped in the penalty area by Steve Tosh. Tony Stevenson may not have been the most obvious name in their side to take the penalty but he despatched it into the bottom left corner of goal with consummate ease, leaving MacDonald no chance at all.

The lead lasted little time at all though as Queens levelled up with the next attack on 13 minutes. Murray played an excellent ball into the middle and Tosh burst into space before releasing a gem of a pass into the run of Jamie Adams who beat Jellema to the ball and clipped it neatly over him into the net. The goals kept coming though and Accies were back in front before the twenty minute mark when Offiong's excellent run and cross was flicked in from six yards by David Winters. The former Ross County man's clever finish left MacDonald sprawling across his goal with no chance of getting there.

Big Jamie lifts it over the 'keeper - from David Gow on the terracing
Queens looked to hit back straight away again and it wasn't long before Dobbie was narrowly wide with a low free kick. A few minutes later McQuilken's excellent cross was missed at the back post by Barrowman who should really have got something on the ball. Accies should have clinched the game though in 33 minutes when Winters released Offiong who teased the Queens defence and could have shot himself before laying the ball on a plate for Gilhaney. Incredibly though the diminutive winger gave MacDonald the opportunity to make a wonderful fingertip save rather than burying the chance in the net. Three minutes later though it was Queens chance to put head in hands. Paton seized on a poor Accies pass to run forward before releasing Stephen Dobbie away through the middle. As Jellema approached Dobbie coolly slipped the ball beneath him and.......a yard wide of target from the edge of the box.

From the middle of the pitch
It was end to end at this point and on 39 minutes McArthur should have done better than to miss the target completely when a fine Fleming cross left him with a free header six yards out. If that was a bad miss the midfielder committed a worse one four minutes later. McQuilken was caught out under a deep cross and McArthur took the ball down and could have picked any spot on the target to double his side's advantage. However, fortunately for Queens he absolutely leathered the ball straight at poor Jamie MacDonald's face and then for good measure mis-controlled the rebound out for a goal kick. Play continued only after lengthy treatment for the young goalkeeper who certainly took a sore one to keep his side in it.

McCall, serving the last game of his touchline ban, had seen enough of the way the game was going and introduced Willie Gibson for the ineffective Barrowman at the interval, switching to a 4-3-3 as a result. Never the less, Accies were first to threaten in the second period when Offiong's shot on the turn skidded across the face of goal. The second half was generally poorer fare and it was fully an hour before Gilhaney had the next shot of note. His effort was easily dealt with by MacDonald but with Queens making no inroads into the Accies lead McCall shuffled his pack again, this time introducing John O'Neill for Jamie Adams who didn't seem as comfortable in the midfield three as he had been in a four. Offiong was still at the root of almost all the problems Accies created for us though and on 65 minutes another superb run to the by-line caused chaos but Jim Thomson just managed to poke the ball away from danger in the six yard box before any Accies player could net the cut-back.

Queens look to cause some problems
Out of nothing though Queens suddenly equalised on 67 minutes. Dobbie had the ball but lost possession and, as he went to close down his opponent, referee Kenny Clark accidentally got in his way. This seemed to confuse the defender who made the mistake of thinking he had more time than he did and, as he dwelled on the ball, Dobbie moved again to charge down the clearance and suddenly found himself in the clear, albeit wide on the left. No problem from out there though in the sort of form Dobbie has been in recently. As Jellema advance the striker confidently lifted a lob over him and into the far corner of the goal for his 17th goal of the season and sixth in six since joining Queens.

Dobbie equalises - from David Gow on the terracing
Billy Reid could see that Accies were suddenly looking like they wouldn't win and indeed might even lose a game they had been in control of so he made a change. On 73 minutes 'wunderkind' James McCarthy was introduced for Stevenson and immediately Accies made a couple of decent chances. First Offiong turned inside Thomson before curling a shot wide of the far post and then, a minute later, Winters delightful chip was just fingertipped away by the agile MacDonald in the Queens goal as it dropped towards the top corner. Scott Tunbridge then replaced Gilhaney as Reid went for the win but it was Queens who showed up next with Dobbie forcing a save from Jellema at his near post after a run down the right side. On 78 minutes Murray's cross from the left looked to be perfect for O'Neill in space in the penalty area but it held up a little on the wind and allowed Tunbridge time to get in a challenge and prevent the header going on target.

As the game moved towards a close both manager's made their final change with O'Connor replacing Dobbie for Queens on 83 mins and McLeod replacing Offiong for Accies two minutes later. I doubt any Queens fan was sorry to see the impressive Offiong depart though! On 87 minutes Queens produced their best footballing move of the game when Gibson moved down the right before playing a ball inside to Tosh. Tosh had to stretch for the ball but forced it through to O'Connor whose lay off found O'Neill. He clipped the ball out to Murray on the overlap but a well struck shot from 20 yards unfortunately went a couple of yards wide. A minute later though Hamilton had a golden chance to win it when McArthur's ball over the top released Winters in the clear. MacDonald started to come for the ball but slipped and had to go back. It seemed the forward simply had to score but he hit his shot against the stanchion of the goal from the outside instead of the back of the net and Queens fans could breathe easy again.

Next up it's a trip to our most immediate relegation rivals, Airdrie United, at New Broomfield. If ever there was a proverbial "six pointer" then this would be it.

Ewan Lithgow

Photographs - David Gow


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