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HAMILTON 1 : 0 QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 13th November 2004
Scott
Rating:
Paton
Rating:
Wood
Rating:
Thomson
Rating:
Craig
Rating:
Burns
Rating:
McColligan
Rating:
Bowey
Rating:
S1
Gibson
Rating:
S3
Lyle
Rating:
S2
McNiven
Rating:
SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 53
McLaughlin
Rating:
S2 - 77
Armstrong
Rating:
S3 - 90
English
Bagan
Bernard
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Members of the Internet Fan Club can award players marks out of ten for their performance today. The player with the most points awarded in the two days following a match will be the IFC Man of the Match. All of the points will then be added to a running total for each player and the results published in the mom League Table.

Name or IFC No.
MATCH SUMMARY
Sometimes it's just not your day! Today was one of those days. It started badly when, despite two different organisations requesting press access on my behalf there was no ticket left for me. It took the personal intervention of one of our directors before I finally actually gained access to the stadium (and even then only after a grumble about the colour of my hat!). Then, after what was by no means a bad performance we lost the game in the very last minute. Hard to take. Finally, I had to walk twice around the stadium, once inside and once outside to actually get away from the place.........

On the field Iain Scott made a couple of changes to the squad that beat Airdrie United last week. Into the starting line up came fit again David Craig at left back in place of Tommy English, dropped to the bench with Jaconelli dropping out of the squad altogether. Gary Wood, who had been struggling with injury all week though made it. The other change was at reserve keeper where former Aldershot number one Richard Barnard, having signed on amateur terms up to the next window replaced young Graeme Wright. Hamilton fielded Sandy Hodge in their back line, twice a former Doonhamer.

Queens started the brighter and ought to have taken the lead in the 4th minute. Eric Paton's forceful run on the right finished with a good ball forward to McNiven which was in turn beautifully laid into the path of Derek Lyle. Through on goal though on the right side of the box Lyle shot from 10 yards and beat Dave McEwan low to his right only to see the shot shave the outside of the post. Three minutes later Paul Burns accepted a fine crossfield pass from Gibson and cut inside before taking a shot at goal that McEwan parried wide.

Early Queens pressure
However, after that bright start the game became very static and it was past the half hour mark before Eric Paton's 25 yard free kick forced another save out of McEwan, tipping over the bar. From the resulting corner Jim Thomson climbed high to win the header but the ball fell just behind the lurking Lyle in the six yard box. Queens controlled much of the possession first half without really forcing home their advantage. Accies looked disjointed and, apart from a couple of dangerous crosses, failed to trouble Colin Scott whatsoever. On 36 minutes though Gary Wood could have no complaint about receiving a booking for fouling the dangerous McPhee on halfway as Accies looked to break forward quickly. The Accies first serious effort on goal arrived in the 42nd minute when Steven Thomson met Carrigan's right sided cross with a flashing header which narrowly missed the right post.

The half then ended slightly controversially when a loose header across the home back line was seized on by Steve Bowey who appeared to be clean through behind the Accies defence. However, despite having played only NINE seconds over the 45 minute mark (I had a stopwatch on the game) referee Mr Conroy chose that moment to blow for the interval. It seemed premature given that play had been stopped not only for Wood's booking but also for a long lecture McColligan received.

The first significant note of the second half saw Willie Gibson booked for a bad challenge on Tunbridge. A minute later the home side should really have taken the lead. A Waddell cross from the left side caused chaos in the box with about four players going for the ball together at the near post, the result of which was Wood going down injured, Colin Scott taken out of the play and the ball breaking loose for Brian Carrigan six yards out. Although David Craig and Jim Thomson managed to get back to the goal line it still appeared a simple task to knock the ball home but somehow "Carrots" screwed the ball wide left.

In the 53rd minute Iain Scott made his first change bringing on Brian McLaughlin for Willie Gibson. Rather than this meaning a straight switch as expected, in fact McLaughlin joined McNiven up front with Lyle moving to the right of midfield and Burns switching over to fill the left sided role vacated by Gibson. Just after the hour mark, Eric Paton's cross was knocked on by McNiven and the ball fell to Bowey forced wide at the edge of the box but his shot was well hit and forced another decent save out of McEwan. Alan Maitland had seen enough and made a double change with Fyfe and Corcoran replacing Carney and Convery. Five minutes later and Australian Scott Tunbridge was booked for a foul. In 74 minutes the replacement Corcoran troubled Colin Scott to actually make a save for the very first time in the game. Even then the effort lacked any real pace and was a comfortable block. A minute later Eric Paton twice did well to effect clearances during what can only be described as a "stramash" in the Queens penalty area.

A late Paton effort didn't really test the 'keeper
With 13 minutes remaining it was Iain Scott's turn to make a change with Chris Armstrong replacing McNiven but two minutes later a much better Accies shot on target from Carrigan was well parried by Scott. On 82 minutes though came Queens last good chance of the game. This time Eric Paton's superb crossfield pass picked out Paul Burns galloping clear on the left and he tried to lob the advancing McEwan from about 20 yards but his effort landed on the roof of the net though to be fair McEwan was probably back in time had it been on target.

And so to the goal. The sucker punch duly arrived as the clock ticked onto 89 minutes and as a result of a soft free kick awarded against Gary Wood midway inside the Queens half. The delivery was excellent and though someone (may have been Jim Thomson) managed to get a head to the ball, all they could do was head it back into the danger area and there lurking was Steven Thomson who had held back his initial run and was duly all alone to lash the ball into the bottom left corner from about ten yards or so past the helpless Scott.

The injury time saw Accies throw on Rab Walker for Brian McPhee and Queens replace Derek Lyle with Tommy English whilst Brian McColligan duly received a deserved yellow card for dissent to the assistant referee over another free kick.

A disappointing result then which seriously closes up the middle of the table. Although results elsewhere mean that Queens remain 4th and Accies 9th there are now only 5 points between the two sides and we'll have to start looking over our shoulder more than what's in front of us again for a while. The performance wasn't that bad actually although, Lyle's good chance early on apart, we again didn't create all that much. I thought we were the better side and that Accies go away a little fortunate to have won but them's the breaks. A good home result against Thistle is now necessary to avoid dropping places.

Ewan Lithgow


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