Falkirk 1 Accies 1: 14 August 2004

Bell's Scottish Football League Division 1

The Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk, 14 August 2004

Report by Gilbert Mowat

I don't know if anyone can be bothered to keep a record of this, but it seems that every time a team has their first league game in a new stadium they struggle to do well. It happened with Clyde at Broadwood and with Accies at New Douglas Park. So it was great for Accies to spoil the Bairns party at their impressive new ground. I suppose I should qualify that a bit. The main stand looks lovely and obviously gives a grand view of the proceedings. The temporary stand behind the goals, however, is a different matter. If you visited Ochilview to see Falkirk last season then you'll know exactly what to expect, as it was the same type of construction. Uncomfortable seats, a poor view and umpteen pillars do not make for an enjoyable trip to the game.

When you build in the scandalous entry fee of £15 and the ridiculously marked up food prices, it is pretty clear that Falkirk are determined to make as much money from the visiting fans as possible. £1 for a Capri-Sun? I am sure Asda will sell you about 8 for that money. £2.70 for a low quality burger? Give me a break. I think many fans will visit the ground just once this season and skip their team's second game there.

Anyway, rant over. There are two ways of looking at this game. You can either say that Falkirk had Accies pinned back for large portions of the game and that Accies were lucky to escape with a point. Another opinion might be that Accies defended very well and restricted Falkirk to very few clearcut chances. The truth probably lies somewhere in between the two. With Ryan Blackadder and Mark Corcoran left out and Brian McPhee unavailable through injury, Derek Ferguson, Sandy Hodge and Pat Keogh all started the game.

As I explained before, the view from behind the goal was very poor and consequently I'm not going to devote much space to blow by blow descriptions of events during the game. Having said that, Accies were fortunate not to concede a goal within the opening stages when Mark McLaughlin blocked a netbound shot on the line. Accies goalkeeper Dave McEwan was the star man in the first half with a couple of good saves. One tip over the bar from a fierce shot by Russell Latapy was excellent.

Accies did pretty well in the first half, with the centre backs Thomson, Hodge and McLaughlin soaking up everything that Falkirk could fling at them. Further forward, Derek Ferguson was the most impressive midfielder and he did his best to get Accies moving forward. Accies had their chances in the first period, with Ricky Waddell firing just wide from a good position and Brian Carrigan having a shot blocked after the Falkirk goalie had missed a cross.

The highlight of the first half came after 37 minutes, when Pat Keogh was bundled over inside the area for an obvious penalty. Brian Carrigan calmly wrongfooted the home goalie and Accies were ahead. Falkirk roared back into attack but could not make the breakthrough before the interval.

If Accies had competed reasonably well in the first half, the second period definitely belonged to the home team. With only the occasional attack by Accies, they attacked in waves! That they didn't create very many chances says a lot about the resolute Accies defence and also about the quality of the Falkirk attack. Russell Latapy was the main man and it has to be said that Robert Walker was given a bit of a roasting by the wee guy. But he stuck to it and made some vital interceptions.

Midway through the half, Allan Maitland withdrew Chris Aitken and brought on David Hamilton. The former Pollok man did pretty well but dithered when presented with a reasonable opportunity inside the area. Next man to be replaced was Brian Carrigan, who despite his obvious skill seems to lack the fitness to compete for an entire game. This allowed Mark Corcoran onto the park and he was a bit of a nuisance to the home defence, although his annoying habit of being caught in offside positions was irritating. Pat Keogh was guilty of this a few times in the second half as well.

Brian Carrigan ought to have a chat with Derek Ferguson, who lasted longer in the baking heat despite his advanced years! It seemed inevitable that the full time team would eventually get some reward for the efforts and it duly came with just 20 minutes remaining. Some neat passing ended with Russell Latapy being tripped in the area by David Hamilton. The Falkirk man's dive seemed a bit theatrical, although I don't think there were any protests from the Accies players. Daryl Duffy tucked the spot kick low into the corner, although Dave McEwan nearly got to it.

After that Accies upped their performance a bit and Ricky Waddell gave their defence quite a few problems. By this stage Derek Ferguson had made way for Stevie Convery as Accies made their final change. Pat Keogh was unlucky not to get on the end of a cross from the right. Scott Tunbridge blazed a shot well wide from the edge of the area.

The last few minutes of the game saw Accies on the rack but Falkirk were a bit lacklustre upfront and couldn't take any of their opportunities. With Accies defending very deep, perhaps they just saw too much of the ball! Pat Keogh had to limp about for the last 10 minutes or so but could not be replaced. Hopefully it was just a touch of cramp.

So it was a very welcome point and one which I am sure Allan Maitland would have grabbed before kick off. Accies are very unlikely to maintain their position near the top of the table throughout the season, but this result and performance indicates that they won't be the certainties for relegation that many will have expected.

Falkirk: Hill, Lawrie, McPherson, Campbell, Hughes (McAnespie 60), James (Scally 85), MacKenzie, Nicholls, Thomson, Latapy, Duffy. Subs Not Used: Moutinho, McStay, Hutchison.

Booked: Hughes.

Goal: Duffy 71 pen.

Hamilton: McEwan, Walker, Hodge, Thomson, McLaughlin, Tunbridge, Carrigan (Corcoran 64), Aitken (Hamilton 57), Keogh, Ferguson (Convery 70), Waddell. Subs Not Used: Lumsden, Jellema.

Booked: Aitken.

Goal: Carrigan 37 pen.

Att: 3,762

Ref: B McDonald

© AcciesWorld 2004

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