Accies 2 Brechin City 2: Saturday, 10 May 2003

Scottish League Division 2, New Douglas Park, Hamilton

Saturday, 10 May 2003

Report by Gilbert Mowat

Accies went into their final game of the season with the very real threat of relegation hanging over them. If they lost, or even drew, there was a chance that they would be overtaken by both Dumbarton and Stranraer. For the visitors, sitting three points ahead of third placed Airdrie United, a draw would be good enough to take them straight through this league in one season. A healthy turnout of Brechin fans (for once!) gave the game a decent atmosphere. Accies coach Chris Hillcoat brought experienced defender Sean Sweeney back into the team and persevered with the youth of Andy Arbuckle and Mahdi Elfallah.

Accies probably had the better of the first half, with Allan Russell proving to be a thorn in the side of the Brechin defence with his good performance on the left side of the attack. Accies had the bulk of the possession but didn't really threaten Scott Thomson's goal. Brechin were very subdued in the first half and it may have been that they were happy to play for a draw. Most of the Accies fans had their ears open for scoreflashes from elsewhere and for a few scary moments both Stranraer and Dumbarton were ahead in their matches. The text messages were flying in as fans were kept abreast of developments elsewhere.

If the first half had been a fairly subdued affair, the game burst into life before the hour when Accies scored two goals within a couple of minutes. First of all, a long free kick by Sean Sweeney was left alone by the Brechin defence and Stuart Callaghan stepped in to thump the ball into the net from close range. If that was bad news for Brechin, events just 60 seconds later must have nearly given Dick Campbell a fit when Brian McPhee broke clear on the left to curl the ball beautifully behind Thomson from around 20 yards.

The goals were probably deserved given the balance of play at that point and Accies looked to be good value for the win. But then Accies Achilles heel let them down again when they conceded two really soft goals to gift the visitors the point they craved. The first goal was dreadful - an overhit cross was nodded back into the danger area by Chris Templeman and struck goalwards by ex-Accie Kevin Fotheringham. How it squeezed underneath the diving Ian Macfarlane was disgraceful.

Shortly afterwards, Faldo was injured when he got a kick from a Brechin forward, who was booked by the referee. He continued after treatment, but he should have been replaced. His next significant action was to watch in wonderment as Charlie King blasted the ball over the bar (and the perimeter wall) from just a few yards out. Brechin continued to press and Faldo made a brilliant one handed save to tip the ball over the bar from Fotheringham.

Accies went back up the park and sub Ally Graham's header was well saved by Thomson. By this stage, a lot of the Accies fans knew that Airdrie were on the brink of a 2-1 win down at Stranraer, a result that would keep Accies in Division 2 for next season. Comments were made by some about how cool it would be if Brechin were to equalise. With the game running into injury time - they did just that. It was a rubbish goal really - Chris Templeman beat Ian Macfarlane to a fairly harmless cross from the wing and bundled the ball over the line - but it was priceless to Brechin and they celebrated wildly. Many of the Accies fans applauded heartily in the knowledge that the goal would keep Airdrie United in the division.

The final whistle was the signal for more celebrations from the visitors and it was a pity that the Accies fans never really got the chance to thank their team for their efforts in this difficult season. Some of them may have completed their Accies careers in this game - time will tell.

Hamilton: McFarlane, Arbuckle, Dobbins, Sweeney, Kerr, Elfallah (Graham), Sherry, Callaghan, McDonald, McPhee, Russell. Subs: Martin, Keegans, McDermott, Potter.

Brechin City: Thomson, Millar, Cairney, Jamie Smith, Deas, Charlie King, Martyn Fotheringham, Kevin Fotheringham, Coulston, Grant, Templeman. Subs: Gibson, McCulloch, Daryn Smith, Boyle, Hay.

Referee: I Brines

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