Accies gave another impressive performance on Saturday when they convincingly defeated Livingston 3-0 at New Douglas Park. David Elebert opened the scoring with a close range header after 13 minutes and top scorer Richard Offiong doubled the lead before the break following an excellent pass from James McCarthy. David Winters headed the third after 52 minutes, although some reckoned it to be an own goal by a Livingston defender. Accies continued to dominate the game but were unable to extend their lead further.
The visitors went down to 10 men near the end when one of their players limped off after all three substitutes had been committed. Worse was to come when captain Lee Makel was red carded for his second bookable offence.
Hamilton Accies 3 Livingston 0
New Douglas Park, Hamilton
Saturday, 7th April 2007
Accies coasted to this win in what was probably their easiest victory of the season. Manager Billy Reid made several changes to the team that had drawn with Queen of the South down at Palmerston in midweek. James McCarthy, David Winters, Richard Offiong and Mark Gilhaney all returned to the side, with Marvyn Wilson, Brian Wake, Paul McLeod and James Gibson dropping to the bench.
Accies pretty much took the game to the visitors from the start and the only surprise as that the opening goal was delayed until the 13th minute. It was created by some sublime wing trickery by Mark Gilhaney on the left. Wee Mark's footwork was too good for the visiting defence and Accies were awarded a free kick on the goalline just outside the penalty area. Alex Neil clearly kept his eye on the referee, and as soon as Mr Brown blew his whistle he cracked the ball right into the danger area. Happily for Accies, defender David Elebert was ready for the quickly taken free kick and he headed the ball past the defenceless Colin Stewart from close range.
Accies attacked in waves after this and the Livingston midfield in particular found it almost impossible to cope with the nimble footwork of Alex Neil, Mark Gilhaney and David Winters. Combined with the energy and skill of James McCarthy and James McArthur, this was an Accies midfield to savour. They were able to play quite a few passes through the static Livingston defence and it was just plain old poor finishing by Accies that kept the visitors in the game.
A second goal was on the cards and Richard Offiong was the man to hit the target. The club's top scorer had scorned an excellent chance earlier, but this time he knocked the ball wide for James McCarthy before sprinting into the area. The youngster hit the return pass to perfection and Offiong fairly cracked it past Stewart. This effectively ended the Livingston side's resistance, as they did not manage a single effort worthy of the name in the first half.
Accies made an enforced change at half time, with teenager James Gibson coming on for David Elebert. The Irish defender had suffered a whack to the shin just before the interval. This change meant that Brian Easton reverted to his customary role in the heart of the defence but it had no detrimental effect on Accies fortunes. In fact, Gibson had an excellent second half and was keen to get forward as often as possible. A third goal was needed to secure the points and it arrived just 7 minutes after the break. This time it was Mark Gilhaney who created the opportunity with a brilliant cross from the left which was headed into the roof of the net by David Winters.
Just before that goal, John Robertson had made his first substitution, with Neil Teggart being replaced by Steven Craig. Teggart had been yellow carded in the first half for a foul on James McArthur and had been a very lucky player earlier in the game when he wasn't booked for a late tackle on an Accies defender inside the Accies penalty area. He was the victim of ironic applause from some Accies fans and left the pitch with a rueful grin on his face.
The goal by Winters was to prove to be the end of the scoring but Accies really ought to have had at least another couple of goals before the end. The best chance came when Colin Stewart blocked a David Winters shot only for substitute Brian Wake to have a fresh air swipe at the ball. Wake had replaced Richard Offiong, who did pretty well but then faded out of the game a bit. Earlier, Marvyn Wilson had replaced James McArthur and it was interesting to see Marvyn trying to get forward whenever he could. Clearly, he had enjoyed his goal against Ross County last week and was keen to get another.
A further goal didn't happen, but if this had been a boxing match it would have been stopped early, such was the domination of the home side. Livingston eventually did force Sean Murdoch to make a save, but the on-loan goalkeeper did well to get down low to the shot from Craig. As the game petered out, Stuart Golabek limped off the pitch to leave his team a man short. Near the end, Lee Makel got first use of the showers in the away changing rooms after picking up his second yellow card for a needless foul on the far touchline.
Accies were unable really to inflict the beating that they should have delivered to Livingston. They dominated the entire game and the three goals were scant reward for their efforts. Seriously, this was a far bigger victory than the scoreline would suggest. It would be wrong to pick people out from the Accies team as they all played well individually and collectively. This was just a superb performance and Billy Reid, his coaches and the players should be very pleased with it.
It all augurs well for next season; with the majority of these players having been signed up for at least next year and a good crop of youngsters coming through the youth set-up, things are looking very bright for the club.
Hamilton: Murdoch, Parratt, Swailes, McCarthy, Elebert (Gibson 46), Easton, Winters, McArthur (Wilson 56), Offiong (Wake 78), Neil, Gilhaney.
Subs Not Used: McLeod, Jellema.
Booked: Neil.
Goals: Elebert 13, Offiong 28, Winters 52.
Livingston: Stewart, MacKay, McPake, Tweed, Golabek, Dorrans, Anderson, Mitchell (Fox 61), Makel, Teggart (Craig 51), Mole (Hamill 61).
Subs Not Used: Miller, Wight.
Sent Off: Makel (87). Booked: Teggart, Tweed, Makel, Anderson.
Att: 1,283
Ref: C Brown
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