Bell's Challenge Cup, Semi-Final

McDiarmid Park, Perth, 27th September 2005

Report by Gilbert Mowat

Accies reached the final of the Bell's Cup on Tuesday tonight with an impressive performance against the Perth side. Manager Billy Reid changed his team from the weekend, with Brian Carrigan and Brown Ferguson replacing Graeme Jones and Scott Tunbridge. Scott was on the bench, alongside Mark Gilhaney and Lee Hardy.

Saints got off to an excellent start and it was obvious from the beginning that Jason Scotland was their most dangerous player. He fired in a couple of early shots that Dave McEwan had to be on his toes to deal with, although Dave always seemed to be in control. Another feature of the Saints game was the excellent corner kicks being swung in from the right by Darren Sheridan and one of the home team headed just past the post from one of them.

Accies had a couple of dangerous attacks too, the best coming when Scott MacKenzie was sent clear on the left by Alex Neil. His low shot beat Kevin Cuthbert in the Saints goal but Kevin Rutkiewicz got back to clear from his own goalline. The ball was won again by Accies and fed out to Brian Carrigan on the right wing. His cross to the back post was met by an Accies player (possibly Pat Keogh), but Scott Paterson was able to head clear from under the crossbar.

Both teams played some good stuff, although Accies always seemed to have a bit more quality about them, especially in midfield. The opening goal really came out of nothing, with Pat Keogh hitting a speculative effort from 25 yards out that spun off a defender and wrong footed Cuthbert as it flew into the net. Sadly, Accies were unable to enjoy their lead for very long as just a couple of minutes later Kevin Rutkiewicz met another great Sheridan corner and this time his header hit the target to equalise.

If the first half had been fairly even, Accies really took a grip of the game after the break. Billy Reid made a change at the break, with Scott Tunbridge replacing Pat Keogh. There was no sign of anything wrong with the big man and he had done a fine job; I think the change was purely tactical. Accies played some great football in the second half and restricted the home side mostly to breakaways. Marvyn Wilson and Alex Neil put in a fantastic shift in the heart of things and Saints were unable to make much of an impression. Accies neat passing game was a joy to watch at times but they were unable to do an awful lot in front of goal.

The best opportunities were generally set up down the left, with Derek Fleming, Brian Carrigan and the irrepressible Alex Neil combining very well. Accies almost took the lead when a Neil cross was met at the back post by Brown Ferguson with a good downward header, which Cuthbert did well to claw away from the line.

A few changes were made. David Hannah's removal was met by huge applause by the Saints fans while the later substitution of Jason Scotland was met with bemused delight by the Accies fans, who could tell that he was the home side's most dangerous player. Brian Carrigan came off with 15 minutes to go, which gave Mark Gilhaney his first taste of action since the end of July, when he pulled a hamstring at Hampden. The wee guy wasted no time in showing that he has plenty of skill and will be a very welcome addition to the squad in the weeks to come.

Accies were basically all over Saints by now and the home team just could not cope with the nimble footwork and excellent passing of the Accies team. A goal looked likely, with a couple of "half chances" having been squandered. The winner duly arrived with just 6 minutes remaining, when Alex Neil was set free on the right and squared the ball for Brown Ferguson to shoot home from close range. Naturally, the home side roared back at this and came close a couple of times, most notably when Dave McEwan had to tip a long range effort around the post. They won a couple of corners near the end that gave the defence a few anxious moments but Accies held firm.

As the game petered out, Accies won a corner themselves and had great fun in just blasting the ball off the advancing Saints defenders to gain a further kick. This happened three times before referee John Underhill decided that enough was enough and ended the home side's misery.

It was a great night for Accies and a victory that was richly deserved. Basically, the better team won and there were no failures in red & white hoops. Steven Thomson was booked for a foul, as was Darren Sheridan of St Johnstone.

St Johnstone: Cuthbert, Anderson (Dobbie 86), McAnespie, Paterson, Campbell, Rutkiewicz, Hannah (McCann 57), Sheridan, Milne, Scotland (MacDonald 75), Sheerin.

Subs Not Used: Stanic, Paston.

Goal: Rutkiewicz 37.

Hamilton: McEwan, Balmer, Fleming, Thomson, McLaughlin, Neil, Ferguson, Wilson, Keogh (Tunbridge 46), MacKenzie, Carrigan (Gilhaney 74,Hardy 90).

Subs Not Used: Hodge, Jellema.

Goals: Keogh 34, Ferguson 84.

Att: 1,850

Ref: John Underhill

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