Alloa Athletic 1 Accies 1: 24 April 2004

Scottish League Division 2

Recreation Park, Alloa, 24 April 2004

Report by Gilbert Mowat

Accies just about clung onto their promotion dream when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Alloa. The turning point of an entertaining game came just before half-time, when Brian Carrigan clashed with former Accies Stuart Callaghan. They both did enough to get a booking, but then Carrots had another go at Cal and was shown a red card by referee Ian Brines. Carrigan wasn't helped by the fact that Callaghan went down as if hit by a sniper only to leap magically to his feet as soon as Carrots had been dismissed. He was the subject of howls of derision from the Accies fans for the rest of the game.

This meant that the task facing Accies was extremely difficult to say the least. By that stage they were also trailing by a goal, a fine header by Ferguson from an inswinging Callaghan corner. That Accies fought their way back into the game and came close to grabbing all of the points says a lot about the great attitude of Allan Maitland's squad. (Having said that, this was a game that would have been lost had it not been for a great performance by David McEwan in the Accies goal.)

Accies had got off to an excellent start and were unlucky not to take an early lead with the ball being fired in from both flanks and the strikers being just unable to get decent attempts on goal. Todd Lumsden was particularly unlucky when he got to a corner kick from the left but his header just went past the post.

The home team took a while to get going but they took the lead just after the half hour, with an unmarked Brown Ferguson heading home a corner from Stuart Callaghan. The Accies defence looked a bit shaky for a spell and would have conceded a further goal if the Alloa players had had their shooting boots on. Accies had been very unlucky not to equalise shortly before Carrigan's dismissal, with a Chris Aitken shot clipping the bar before disappearing over the fence onto the main road. Then came the Carrigan/Callaghan incident, with Accies being reduced to 10 men. The formation was disrupted additionally when Andy Arbuckle pulled a hamstring and had to be replaced by Ryan Blackadder. At least Accies only had to hang on for a few minutes so that Allan Maitland could re-organise things at the interval.

With Accies down to 10 men, the remaining players gave everything they had in the second half. They came frustratingly close to equalising when a defensive error gave Chris Aitken a great chance from about 8 yards out. Unluckily, Chris's shot thudded off the crossbar with the 'keeper beaten. Accies had other good efforts from headers by Stephen Thomson and Todd Lumsden, but both were well saved by James Evans in the home goal.

With the home defence feeling the pressure, they conceded another corner on the Accies left. Ryan Blackadder sent in a brilliant cross and it was met by The Bee in full flight and his thumping header into the roof of the net took Accies level. Accies took heart from this but were unable to break through for that all important winner. Allan Maitland made his remaining changes, with Darren Gribben and Sandy Hodge replacing Mark Corcoran and Chris Aitken. They did manage to conjure up a few "half - chances" but nothing that Evans couldn't cope with.

At the other end, the shots rained in on Dave McEwan for a while but most of them seemed to be straight at him. When Alloa did create their best chances, they either ballooned them over the bar of just generally made a hash of them. One effort near the end crashed off the crossbar with McEwan beaten.

At the end, a draw was probably about right although this was a game that could have been won by either side. It represents a missed opportunity for Accies. If Brian Carrigan had behaved himself, they would have had a great chance to win the game and close that gap on Morton. As it is, they now travel to Airdrie knowing that failing to win will mean that our neighbours will be promoted. That Accies will have to achieve a win without the suspended Todd Lumsden and Brian Carrigan plus the injured Andy Arbuckle means that this will be a very difficult task.

Alloa: James Evans, Nicolson, Clark, Valentine, Bolochoweckjy, McGowan, Walker, Ferguson, Hamilton, Little, Callaghan.

Subs: McLaughlin, Stevenson, Daly, Gareth Evans, Tripoulos.

Hamilton: McEwan, Walker, Arbuckle (Blackadder), Thomson, Lumsden, Sherry, Carrigan, Aitken (Hodge), Waddell, McPhee, Corcoran (Gribben).

Subs: Hodge, Blackadder, Gribben, Quitongo, Jellema.

Referee: I Brines

© AcciesWorld 2004

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