Ross County 2 Accies 1: 16 April 2005

Bell's Scottish Football League Division 1

Victoria Park, Dingwall, 16 April 2005

Report by Gilbert Mowat

This was a desperately disappointing performance by Accies against a County team that played them off the park. Accies had no answer to the fine passing game played by the home team and the margin of defeat would have been far greater had it not been for an inspired performance by Dave McEwan between the sticks. Accies fielded the same starting X1 for the third consecutive game, with Derek Ferguson and Colin Cramb finding places on the bench. Neither Brian Carrigan nor Brian McPhee, who have both been hugely important players for Accies in the last couple of seasons, were included in the travelling squad.

County got off to a good start and it was no surprise when they took the lead after 19 minutes, with Don Cowie clipping a shot in off the post from close range after fine work on the left wing. Dave McEwan had to be on his toes on a couple of occasions as the struggling Accies defence gave the home forwards plenty of time to shoot. The only downside of McEwan's game was that his kicking was very poor and this added to the pressure on the defence. After one too many poor goalkicks, Mark McLaughlin shouted at him to change his boots and stop complaining about them! After sub goalie Raymond Jellema brought round a new pair (which improved things), McEwan flung his offending old boots onto the terracing.

Accies did have a couple of close things in the first half, the best coming when a deflected Lee Hardy cross from the left was thumped just over the crossbar from close range by Todd Lumsden. There were another couple of decent attacks, but I can't tell you much about them due to the dreadful view from the away terracing at Victoria Park. At the interval, it was no surprise that Accies were behind although the mood was lifted yet again at the news of the latest capitulation by our friends from Maryhill.

If Accies had competed to a certain extent before the break, they were completely dominated by the home team for the bulk of the second half. Dave McEwan had to tip three or four great efforts over the bar but he had no chance after 59 minutes when Sean Kilgannon was sent clean through to lift the ball over Dave as he ran out. Allan Maitland made a double substitution 5 minutes later, with the invisible Jean Phillippe Javary and Lee Hardy being replaced by Stevie Convery and David Hamilton. At long last this meant that St Mirren-bound winger Mark Corcoran was switched to his best position out on the left wing. Crucially, it also meant that Stevie Convery was partnered with his old Clyde teammate Pat Keogh up front.

Stevie Convery was at least willing to have a shot on goal but after one poor effort he was the target for some vicious personal abuse from a small group of Accies fans. Unwisely he answered them back in similar fashion but his frustration was understandable. As was the frustration of the fans. They had travelled a long way to see this poor performance from the team and this obviously pushed them over the edge. This wasn't a good day for anyone but there's no way that this abuse could have been helpful to anyone.

Accies came more into the game after these changes but it was only in the dying stages of the game that they finally put the County defence under any pressure. First of all, Stevie Convery headed just past the post after good work on the left and then David Hamilton failed to score from a wicked Mark Corcoran from exactly four feet out with the goalkeeper beaten. It just wasn't going to be our day.

Finally, Accies got it right in the dying seconds when Corky fed the ball to Stevie Convery and he netted from about 10 yards out. Accies tried to mount another attack to steal a point but it was not to be.

There's no doubt that the better team won. There's also no doubt that Accies will have to strengthen the squad for next term if they're to compete with the division's better teams.

Ross County: Stewart, McCunnie, McCulloch, Tiernan, Canning, Robertson, Rankin, Cowie, Winters (Burke 72), McGarry (McKinley 83), Kilgannon (Kerr 83). Subs Not Used: Garden, MacDonald.

Goals: Cowie 19, Kilgannon 59.

Hamilton Ac: McEwan, Paquito, Hodge, Lumsden, McLaughlin, Javary (Hamilton 64), McArthur, Hardy (Convery 64), Keogh, Mahouve (Ferguson 72), Corcoran. Subs Not Used: Jellema, Cramb.

Goal: Convery 90.

Att: 2,107

Ref: M McCurry

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