2006-08-19 St Johnstone

Accies fought out an exciting goalless draw at Perth on Saturday, with Raymond Jellema having an outstanding game in goals. Accies now climb a spot to 5th position in the league.

Bells League Division 1

McDiarmid Park, Perth 19th August 2006

St Johnstone 0 Hamilton Accies 0

Report by Andy McGilvray

HAMILTON’S good run of form continued on Saturday, as they emerged with a well-earned point from an entertaining encounter at McDiarmid Park. Boss Billy Reid made several changes to last Tuesday’s winning side, with Raymond Jellema replacing knee-injury victim Dave McEwan in goals, while Mark McLaughlin and Tom Parratt were among the outfield changes, with Brian Easton benched, and Tony Stevenson rested.

Hamilton started the brighter of the two, and only good defending by Saints prevented Alex Neil from latching onto Mark Gilhaney’s slide-rule pass in seven minutes. But from Bryn Halliwell’s kick out, Jason Scotland appeared to foul David Elebert as he bore down on the Accies goal, and the striker and the Irishman got into a tangle which resulted in Scotland crashing to the deck. Referee Craig MacKay wasn’t interested, and it looked like Hamilton were let off the hook.

A good cross from the right by Scott Tunbridge was headed away by Andy Lawrie at the expense of a corner in 11 minutes, preventing the ball from reaching lurking Richard Offiong. Jellema made the first in a series of crucial stops in 17 minutes when Scotland skipped past Elebert on the right and made an angled run into the box, but the young keeper came off his line and blocked the Trinidad and Tobago international’s low drive.

Eight minutes later, Scotland cleverly laid off Darren Sheridan’s free kick into the path of Steven Milne, but Jellema again did well to block with his legs. Scotland was causing Hamilton problems and found space for another shot from the edge of the box in 27 minutes, but fired past the right post.

Scott Tunbridge went close with a 25-yard free kick in 34 minutes, before good work by Gilhaney released Offiong on an overlapping run down the left, but his cross was just too far ahead of Tunbridge in 37 minutes.

St Johnstone thought they had scored in 43 minutes when Martin Hardie turned Lawrie’s low angled drive over the line from point-blank range, but the ‘goal’ was correctly chalked off for offside.

Hamilton made a half-time switch, with injured Offiong replaced by new signing Brian Wake. Jellema was forced into another good save a minute after the restart, when he blocked Hardie’s low drive with his left foot after good work by Scotland. Hamilton probably should have scored in 49 minutes when Gilhaney chased a long ball over the top, but Halliwell got a finger-tip to the winger’s lob, and punched clear at the expense of a corner when the ball came back down.

Derek Fleming’s corner on the left found Alex Neil on the left corner of the box, but his floated effort cleared the crossbar by a couple of inches. Great play by Neil set up Gilhaney on the left and the winger checked inside before rifling a shot which looked like rising into the top right corner, only to be blocked by an unfortunate St Johnstone defender’s stomach in 63 minutes.

Simon Mensing sent a 20-yard drive soaring over the bar from 20 yards out, but referee MacKay inexplicably awarded a corner when the ball clearly didn’t deflect off of anybody. Scotland tried his luck again in 80 minutes, but Derek Fleming deflected his low drive past the right post.

Gilhaney twisted and turned his way past Lawrie on the left in 82 minutes, but after checking inside, his shot proved no great trouble for former Clyde team-mate Halliwell. But St Johnstone were reduced to 10 men in 85 minutes following a moment of madness by Jason Scotland. As Fleming closed in to challenge the striker, Scotland reacted by throwing an elbow into his face. Referee MacKay amazingly MISSED the incident, but his stand-side linesman pointed out the offence, and Scotland received a straight red card for violent conduct.

Saints actually went closest to scoring following the misdemeanour, with Paul Sheerin rattling the left post with a ferocious drive.

St Johnstone: Halliwell, Lawrie, Stanic, Mensing, McManus (Anderson 71), James, Hardie, Sheridan (Young 56), Milne (MacDonald 79), Scotland, Sheerin. Subs Not Used: Jackson, Cuthbert.

Sent Off: Scotland (86). Booked: McManus.

Hamilton: Jellema, Parratt, Fleming, Tunbridge, Elebert, McLaughlin (Thomson 83), McArthur, Wilson, Offiong (Wake 46), Neil, Gilhaney. Subs Not Used: Payo, Easton, Findlay.

Booked: Parratt, Wilson, Elebert.

Att: 2,295

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