Accies 3, Raith Rovers 2: Saturday, 17 October 1998

It's a scandal : you wait 11 months for a home win and then 2 come in a row! Not that I'm complaining.

Accies started the match with Ian McAulay replacing the suspended Steven Renicks at right back. Raith Rovers appeared to have turned the corner with a home win last week. So it looked as though we would be in for a tough match and so it proved.

Accies definitely started as the better team, but it was Raith who took the lead through Paul Tosh after 15 minutes. I have to confess that I was too busy chatting to my pal and only really paid attention when the ball got to Tosh at the right hand corner of the penalty box. His low shot into the far corner of the goal easily beat Stephen Robertson. Worse was to follow after 35 minutes when the same player was allowed to stroll through a very static Accies defence to beat Robertson with some style.

The second half nearly started disastrously for Accies when, after about 10 seconds, Paul Hartley sent over a great cross for Keith Wright. His bullet header was saved brilliantly by Stephen Robertson. Ten minutes later, Colin Miller replaced the ineffective David Mcfarlane with Steve McCormick. WHAT A MASTERSTROKE!! With his first touch he volleyed in a cross from the right from Nicky Henderson. Two minutes later, he found himself with loads of space inside the Raith penalty box and his low shot was deflected past Van de Kamp in the Rovers goal for the equaliser. Three touches and two goals : not a bad strike rate.

Ten minutes later, I was mentioning to my pal that we were still due the obligatory Gary Wales goal when it arrived. Nicky Henderson hit a superb pass from deep right to Gary's feet, he controlled the ball superbly and then lobbed it over the advancing Raith keeper. PANDEMONIUM!!

Towards the end Wales superbly set up McCormick for his hat trick but he mishit his shot and it was saved easily. Right at the death, Paul Hartley went down in the box looking for a penalty but was declined by Mike McCurry.

A great comeback after being 2-0 down at half time. Special praise must go to Steven Thomson, Nicky Henderson, Gary Wales and man-of-the-match Steve McCormick, who just edges out Nicky Henderson.

Accies : Robertson, McAulay, Cunnington, Hillcoat, McKenzie, Thomson, Clark, N Henderson, McFarlane (McCormick), Wales, D Henderson.

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