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HAMILTON 1 : 0 QUEEN OF THE SOUTH - (AET)

17th January 2006

Barnard Rating: 5.87

Thomson Rating: 6.20

Lovell Rating: 7.53

S3 Reid Rating: 6.37

Paton Rating: 5.87

Burns Rating: 7.62

S2 O'Neill Rating: 5.14

Bowey Rating: 6.43

English Rating: 6.41

Lyle Rating: 4.74

S1 Wood Rating: 5.52

SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 64 Gibson Rating: 4.15	S2 - 70 Robertson Rating: 4.93	S3 - 95 McLaughlin Rating: 4.50	Carr	Scott

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MATCH SUMMARY

Another year, another Scottish Cup campaign over more or less as soon as it started. Bitterly disappointing, especially the way the draw had opened up to invite us towards the last eight and maybe beyond. However, there was no lack of effort from the team out there tonight on a bitterly cold January night, just sadly a lack of inspiration from anywhere that looked likely to break down Accies solid defence. By the end a shattered team were almost out of their feet and almost all playing out of position in a vain attempt to make something happen. The final whistle was almost a relief rather than a disappointment. The rules on signing new players before cup deadlines of course denied Ian McCall the services of his four new players who made their debuts last Saturday. Instead it was back to the players who have been in all season. That meant recalls to the starting eleven for Steve Bowey, John O'Neill and Gary Wood and a return to the back three system with Lovell in between Thomson and Reid. Weekend illness victim Willie Gibson was fit enough to take a place on the bench and was joined there by Brian McLaughlin despite last night's announcement that he can leave if he finds a new club. Accies too though had selection problems with their latest unavailable player being regular goalkeeper Dave McEwan who was replaced by Raymond Jellema. Unfortunately the young keeper proved a more than able deputy. It was Queens who started the better with Tommy English's corner causing panic in the first few minutes causing McLaughlin to clear over his own crossbar. Just before the quarter hour mark Paul Burns was fouled about 25 yards out and English lined up a direct free kick but struck well over Jellema's crossbar. A minute later another English free kick flighted from the left side saw Jellema fumble the ball and it cannon into the side netting off Gary Wood's shins.

No one back

Accies hadn't figured at all in the early exchanges and they were forced into an early change on 24 minutes when Scott McKenzie hobbled off to be replaced by James McArthur. Three minutes later Queens did actually manage to stick the ball in the net, Eric Paton rifling home from the edge of the box, but Steve Bowey had been flagged offside on delivering the cross and to be fair all the defenders stopped challenging. Accies may not have shown much in the opening half hour but their first decent chance produced a superb save from Barnard. Scott Tunbridge strode forward down the right side, cut inside, got the break of the ball and fired an excellent drive goalward which the big Englishman managed to get a single strong hand to and parry away. Four minutes into the second half Steve Bowey collected a knock down from Wood and hit an excellent low cross into the box which Derek Lyle threw himself at along with goalkeeper Jellema and Steven Thomson. The three of them ended up in a heap in the net but unfortunately the ball didn't join them there as Jellema's touch was just enough to knock it away for a corner. The keeper needed lengthy treatment to a head knock before being able to continue though. When play finally restarted Tommy English put in a superb dangerous ball to the six yard box which Gary Wood almost headed home only to be denied by an excellent headed clearance from Tunbridge. Another dangerous ball in from the second corner almost found Wood again but this time the ball was scrambled clear in a ruck of players.

No way through

On 55 minutes Derek Fleming hit a screaming drive on the half volley from 25 yards after Jim Thomson's clearing header fell to him but fortunately the ball went a good six yards wide. Back came Queens though and just after the hour, Paton's dangerous free kick was headed back into the six yard box by Thomson and headed away for a corner again under pressure. This time English went deeper and it fell perfectly for Brian Reid just beyond the back post but he couldn't get a shot at goal. A minute later McCall made his first change with Willie Gibson replacing Gary Wood up front. Billy Reid's response was to make a change of his own, the for once ineffective against us, Paul McLeod replaced by Rudy Torres. Accies were starting to dominate possession and make chances though and on 69 minutes Fleming's deep cross was headed narrowly over at the back post by Brown Ferguson. McCall's response to that was to make his second switch with Scott Robertson replacing John O'Neill. With quarter of an hour to go Torres did very well to elude Jim Thomson and skip to the bye-line where he fired a dangerous ball to the near post and Stuart Lovell did superbly to clear under pressure. The resulting corner was dropped right on top of Richie Barnard and as bodies piled in the ball was somehow scrambled away for another corner which was dealt with rather more comfortably. In the 84th minute Barnard came to punch a Fleming cross away and failed to get any real distance in it. Sheer luck though meant the ball fell too far away for any of the home side's players to make the error count. Two minutes later James McArthur got the break of the ball to race away from Jim Thomson down the Accies left side and forced the big centre half into a desperate tackle from the back. Although he did actually appear to get the ball fairly cleanly referee Craig Thomson decided it was a foul tackle from behind and produced the game's first yellow card. With two minutes of the ninety remaining Billy Reid made his final change bringing on Mark Gilhaney for Brian Carrigan. A minute later Derek Fleming tried his luck with a 25 yard free kick which, though hit powerfully, was straight at Barnard and easily held. Bizarrely, despite allowing lengthy treatment in the half to both Paul Burns and Raymond Jellema and the use of four substitutes, referee Thomson opted to blow for full time exactly on the 90 minute mark so we were forced into extra time. To be honest, after two tight draws at Palmerston we shouldn't have been surprised. Unfortunately we perhaps also shouldn't have been surprised after Saturday that Accies took just 45 seconds of the extra period to break the deadlock and take the lead for the third time in this trio of games. It came from an unfortunate bounce on the right side. Tommy English and Brown Ferguson went into a tackle at exactly the same time and both took the ball cleanly. Unfortunately the ball spun up in the air and came down perfectly for the Accies man to flight in a wonderful cross to the edge of the six yard box and there it was met with an equally good header from Rudy Torres which gave Barnard no chance at all.

From David Gow on the terraces.

Ian McCall's response to going a goal down was an immediate gamble with Brian McLaughlin replacing Brian Reid on 94 minutes. That meant more re-shuffling with a flat back four of English, Lovell, Thomson and Paton, a midfield three of Bowey, Burns and Robertson and a front three of McLaughlin and Gibson wide of Lyle. On 99 minutes Stuart Lovell produced a simply fantastic challenge in his own box to deny Torres a second after another fine Ferguson cross had been only partly cleared by Jim Thomson's head. A minute later Queens came as close as they ever did get to an equaliser when Gibson's left sided corner evaded Jellema in the middle and Scott Robertson at the back of the six yard box threw himself at the ball as it came across. Unfortunately though it was the young midfielder who ended up in the net and not the ball which he failed to make any contact with. In the 102nd minute though a super run down the right side from Gilhaney saw him leave Gibson, English and Lovell all trailing before he cut the ball back to Torres and his shot hit Jim Thomson on the heel to prevent it going in though I doubt Jim knew much about it! The loose ball then bounced to safety off of Scott Robertson who similarly didn't know too much about it. The game was becoming really stretched and open at this point though and a minute later a big punt forward which was only half headed clear saw Paul Burns pick up the loose ball and go for goal on the half-volley. Though he got plenty of power in his effort from 25 yards out he got poor direction and Jellema held the ball easily enough. In the final minute of the half Torres and Gilhaney found themselves two on one with Thomson at the back and should really have done better from the situation than Torres' ambitious lob from 20 yards which ended up high and wide of Barnard's goal. In a final gamble of the game McCall shifted his formation again for the final fifteen minutes. Jim Thomson was sent forward to be the focal point at centre forward with Lyle dropping into midfield and young Scott Robertson asked to fill in beside Lovell at centre half! in the 112th minute Scott Tunbridge fed an excellent ball down the outside left channel and Gilhaney was away beyond the Queens defence. From a tight angle he fired in a shot which Barnard did very well to flick away under his bar for a corner. The corner was fumbled away by Barnard for a second one and from that one it was met with a flying powerful header by McLaughlin that for all the world looked destined to end the contest until Barnard again produced a wonder reaction save. Four minutes later Torres picked up the game's second yellow card for kicking the ball away after he'd been given offside just inside the Queens half. Richie Barnard came all the way to halfway to take the kick and actually found Jim Thomson's head with the delivery beyond the back four but rather than flick at goal the veteran looked to nod back down for a supporting team-mate and none was there so the chance was gone. In the final minute of the period we saw another two bookings, with Willie Gibson seeing yellow for an accumulation of fouls that had tested Craig Thomson's patience once too often and Scott Tunbridge joining him there for a foul on Bowey which clearly saw him make no effort to get the ball. Unfortunately though there were no real chances in the final minute or two for Queens to pressure the opposition goal and it's the home side who can look forward to a visit from their former manager Allan Maitland and his Alloa team in the 4th round. For Queens now all we have to look forward to is a very difficult battle to avoid relegation to the second division after four years in the first. Ewan Lithgow Photographs and video - David Gow