Accies 1 St Mirren 0: Scottish Cup 3rd Round Replay: Tuesday, 2nd February 1999

Accies won a very scrappy game with a spirited performance which belied their appalling league position. Neither team was able to take control of the game. For long spells St Mirren looked to be the better team, but they were let down by poor performances by their front three of Mendes, Yardley and Brown. In addition, John Hillcoat had one of his best games for Accies, and his save from a St Mirren header in the second half was outstanding.

The only goal was provided by top scorer Gary Wales in the 72nd minute. A corner from the right was headed clear to Ross McLaren about 15 yards out. His low shot was diverted into goal by Gary Wales from just a couple of yards out. Accies had to survive some sticky moments towards the end but made it without mishap, although Chris Hillcoat came very close to scoring an own goal. It was a memorable night, and the unhappy expressions on the faces of the St Mirren fans was worth the admission money alone. The players celebrated the final whistle with style. It was as if, with their first win since October, a great weight has been lifted from their shoulders. The fans went mental too.

Accies will now play Rangers at Firhill on Sunday 14th February and the match will be broadcast live throughout Europe by Sky television. This will undoubtedly provide the club with not only a big cheque from the gate receipts and Sky, but also a marvellous marketing opportunity. I'll go into this in more depth as the match approaches. The whole team deserve credit for the victory, but we can't forget that in footballing terms, Saturday's league match against Airdrie is far more important.

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