Scottish League Division 2, Strathclyde Homes Stadium, Dumbarton
Saturday, 8 February 2003
Report by Gilbert Mowat
As the the ball crashed low into the net for the third Dumbarton goal, the popular opinion amongst the Accies support seemed to be that relegation was almost a foregone conclusion. While I would agree that things are not looking too good after this game, I think that talk of relegation is just a little bit premature. There's no reason for the heads to go down given that we're only 4 points from safety with a game in hand and 15 games left to play.
But it's easy to be despondent after this game. With top scorer Brian McPhee unavailable because of a thigh injury, teenager Darren Gribben was handed his first start in the hoops. Elsewhere, Craig Smillie made way for the returning Ian Dobbins. Accies started quite brightly, with Dylan Kerr providing excellent support for Stuart Callaghan on the left hand side.
The first half was a reasonably enjoyable 45 minutes of football, with Accies taking the game to the Sons when they could. They created a few chances too, the best of them falling to young Darren Gribben. Johnny Walker split the defence with a great pass to Gribben on the right side of the penalty area. Left with only the 'keeper to beat, his shot flew harmlessly wide of the goal. Darren also had a good run and should probably have laid the ball off to Walker or Armstrong but decided to shoot and the ball rolled tamely to the 'keeper.
For their part, the Sons didn't create much in the way of chances, with the Accies defence containing things pretty well. However, they very nearly scored with a neat header from Paddy Flannery that was superbly turned round the post by Graham Potter.
Accies took the lead just before the break with a scrappy goal - but they all count. The ball was chipped into the are where Stuart Callaghan nodded it forwards to Gareth Armstrong. I though he was offside - others didn't - but he made a fine job of stabbing the ball past Grindlay in the Dumbarton goal.
If Accies had been the top team in the first half, the second period definitely belonged to the hosts. It didn't take them long to get back on level terms, with Neil Scally scoring with a fine low shot from 12 yards after impressive substitute Obedile had missed the ball completely. This goal had followed some comic cuts defending by Accies when they had several chances to clear their lines. A second goal nearly followed when Steven Bonar capped a fine run into the area with a great shot that thumped back off Graham Potter's post. It seemed that a second goal was inevitable and it duly arrived after 61 minutes.
I'm not sure who carries the can for the second goal, but it's safe to say that someone should have prevented it. When Dumbarton won a corner on the right side, no-one picked up Bonar, who was standing at the corner of the penalty area. The ball was played to him and his chipped cross was headed in at the back post by the unmarked Neil Collins.
At this stage of the game Chris Hillcoat realised that he had to freshen up the midfield. Normally, it's Johnny Walker who gets pulled off but this time it was Martin Bonnar, who was replaced by Mahdi Elfallah. For all his recent criticism, I thought that Walker had a decent game at Dumbarton and justified his inclusion for once. Let's hope it continues.
Accies continued to try to get back into the game and Darren Gribben rushed a reasonable chance inside the 6 yard box. This was the cue for his inevitable replacement, by big Ally Graham. I think Gribben did well but he was never going to play the full 90 minutes. His inexperience naturally let him down when he was in good positions in front of goal. Carefully nurtured, I think he'll do well.
Accies generated a couple of chances to equalise after this with Mahdi Elfallah coming closest. Allan Russell had a good shooting opportunity but to no-one's surprise he blasted the ball high over the bar, the perimeter fence and into the car park. (Sons substitute Obedile did the same thing at the other end with an even more impressive effort, although to the disappointment of the fans the ball stopped just before it reached the Firth of Clyde.)
With only a couple of minutes left, Gary McCutcheon sparked a mass exodus of Accies fans by firing the ball low past Potter from close range.
Of course this was a disappointing defeat, but there are some positive things to be taken from the game. Graham Potter did fairly well and could not be faulted for the goals. The blame for them lies with the inept pairing of Ian Dobbins and Sean Sweeney in the heart of the defence. Dylan Kerr did very well on the left and it's good news that after the game he signed a contract to remain with the club until the end of the season. On the right side, Ally Graham worked hard as usual but didn't generate much that was creative.
In midfield, Stuart Callaghan and Johnny Walker did well but Martin Bonnar had a quiet game. Allan Russell once more failed to live up to his alleged ability. As a pal reminded me yesterday, he had a couple of good games as we won the 3rd division a couple of years ago but was considered to be a bit of a "passenger" even then. I know he's had injury problems, but he's not doing enough to justify his presence in the team.
I was encouraged by the performance of Gareth Armstrong beside Darren Gribben up front and delighted to see him score. This team is far from being good enough to compete for promotion, but I think they have enough talent to escape from the clutches of the "Seaside League" (© Scott Gardner 199?).
Hamilton: Potter, Armstrong, Kerr, Dobbins, Sweeney, Alisdair Graham, Bonnar (Elfallah 63), Walker, Russell, Gribben (Alistair S Graham 72), Callaghan.
Unused substitutes: McDonald, Macfarlane, McCreadie
- Read the fans' memories, or add your own, via this link.
- Please contact us if you have any information that will improve this page or if you spot any mistakes.
Images
Videos
Links and References