Bell's Scottish league Division 2, Recreation Park, Alloa
Saturday, 9 February 2002
This was a game in which Accies hopes of promotion could have taken a serious dent. After the disappointment of the last 10 minutes of the cup tie on Monday, it would have been predictable for the heads to go down and for there to be some reaction to what happened at Tannadice.
Not a bit of it. This was an excellent game between two of the league's top sides. Sadly, the pitch they had to use was deplorable. It was lumpy, it had no bounce and the amount of sand near one of the goallines was outrageous. Mind you, it was equally crap for both teams.
Accies lined up without Steven Renicks, who had played in every match this season before the trip to Alloa. His place on the right was taken by Ally Graham, which meant that there was room in the midfield for the return of Brian McPhee.
I have to confess straight up that I missed the first goal of the game, which was a 4th minute header from a corner by Michael Moore. I'm told he "leapt like a salmon" to head home. Unfortunately, he only lasted a few minutes after that and had to be replaced by Kris O'Neill. Accies had a brilliant chance to extend their lead when some great wing play by Brian McPhee ended with a low cross to David McNiven at the back post. Unbelievably, with the 'keeper stranded, McNiven could only sclaff the ball wide of goal.
This reprieve obviously gave the Wasps the encouragement they needed to take the game to Accies, and their attacks paid off when they equalised after 21 minutes. This was a very simple goal, with an inswinging corner headed in at the front post by unmarked veteran Keith Knox. I was at the other end of the pitch, but it looked as if no-one matched his run and his fine header gave Ian Macfarlane no chance.
You would think that the goal would give the Accies defence a message: that they should match the runners at set pieces. Unfortunately, they were lethargic again in the 42nd minute when an identical corner kick was headed home by Gareth Hutchison. Accies did have a couple of chances to score a second goal in the first half, but Ally Graham's shot went just over the bar and Stuart Callaghan's free kick went harmlessly into the wall.
Funnily enough, I was sure I could hear raised voices coming from within the stand as I walked behind the main stand at Recreation Park at half time. It is very likely that it was the noise of Ally Dawson "encouraging" his men to greater efforts in the second half. Or it may not have been. In any event, Accies were the far better team after the break.
The second half seemed to be a personal duel between Accies substitute Kris O'Neill and home goalkeeper Derek Soutar. The former Dundee man denied Kris on no fewer than three occasions. First of all, he blocked a close range effort that went for a corner, then he parried a fine shot from 12 yards through a crowded goalmouth. But the most agonising was a netbound shot from Kris that Soutar just got a foot to.
When Accies did get that vital second goal, it came from the now prolific Martin Bonnar. He was fed the ball about 12 yards out and, just as a fan near me cried out "Just hit it, Stan", the wee guy did exactly that and the ball nestled in the bottom corner of Soutar's goal. He was delighted and he ran to celebrate with a group of Accies fans, some of whom were old enough to know better!
Accies had other good chances too, the best of these being when David McNiven chested the ball down for Kris O'Neill, only for Kris to control the ball and then almost miss it with Soutar exposed. Not that Alloa were completely out of it. They brought two superb saves out of Ian Macfarlane, one of them a brilliant effort from a netbound header.
So the game finished as a draw, although I thought Accies could easily have won it. With several of the other promotion contenders dropping points, this is going to be a league that will not be decided for a good while yet...
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