2007-08-11 Clyde

Accies climbed up to joint top spot in the league on Saturday with a richly deserved win over Clyde at Broadwood. Richard Offiong gave Accies the lead with a well struck penalty just before the break but it was a towering header from David Elebert that sealed the win for the Hoops.

Clyde 0 Hamilton Accies 2

Broadwood Stadium

Saturday, 11th August 2007

Accies continued their 100% success rate for the season when they defeated Clyde 2-0 at Broadwood. Manager Billy Reid made three interesting changes to the team that had defeated Dunfermline a week earlier, with Czech goalkeeper Tomas Cerny taking over from Bryn Halliwell, Tom Parratt reclaiming the No 2 shirt from Chris Swailes and Neil Teggart making his debut up front, with Paul McLeod relegated to the bench. Clyde had the very familiar figure of Marvyn Wilson in the heart of their midfield.

The first half was a very unsatisfying 45 minutes of football, with little of any quality for the fans to enjoy. Both teams were fully committed to the cause and referee Kenny Clark was kept busy with a succession of niggly fouls and a fair number of yellow cards. For Accies, Mark Gilhaney was booked for a foul on the Clyde goalkeeper, Neil Teggart was similarly dealt with for a needless trip while Mark McLaughlin also saw yellow for a bit of pushing and shoving with Gary Arbuckle after the referee had not given Clyde a free kick. Teggart had looked quite lively in the opening stages but wasn't really able to make an impact on the game. It is clear that things will improve for him when he gets more matches under his belt.

The best chance for Accies came when Tom Parratt whipped in a brilliant cross from the right that was just a fraction too high for Richard Offiong. The striker got just a glancing header too it and it fell nicely into the path of Mark Gilhaney. Sadly for him, Mark's diving header flew just over the top. Clyde's main threat seemed to come from the free kicks of Steve Masterton, who seemed intent to shoot for goal from any range. None of his kicks caused Tomas Cerny any alarm.

Accies took the lead just before the break when Richard Offiong sprinted clean through the middle onto a bouncing pass. He lofted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper and was in the act of heading the ball towards the unguarded net when he was clearly brought down by Neil McGregor. The red card for the Clyde defender was inevitable and Richard got up to blast home the spot kick. That was his third goal in as many games and it augurs well for a good campaign for the striker. It also left Clyde a man short for the second half; a fact that was very significant to Accies' success in this game.

Clyde had competed well in the first half but they struggled to make any impression on the Accies defence after the break. They came close when yet another Masterton free kick from the wing thudded off the near post, but apart from that they never threatened the Accies goal. Accies really ran the show but, like in the last couple of games, they found the target hard to hit. Mark Gilhaney had a fine afternoon on the left wing as he returned to his old club. The Bully Wee defence found his trickery and pace hard to combat and he was always available to receive the ball from the defence. Billy Reid made a couple of changes, with Paul McLeod coming on for the tiring Teggart and James McCarthy coming on for Stuart Taylor.

A second goal was needed to seal the game and it duly arrived with 10 minutes remaining. It was a very simple effort too, with David Elebert heading an Alex Neil free kick over the Clyde substitute goalkeeper. The Clyde goal did lead a charmed life at times but Accies weren't able to take any further advantage. With the points in the bag, Reid replaced Mark McLaughlin with James Gibson. Big Mark left the field to a standing ovation from the Accies fans and a big hug from his manager.

Disappointingly, Alex Neil and James McArthur followed their teammates into the referee's notebook for fouls and several Clyde players followed too. It was a generally unpleasant and foul-ridden match but one that Accies clearly deserved to win. However, they will need to capitalise better on the number of chances that are being created.

After the match, Billy Reid said, " I thought it was competent, professional, and we know that we can play better in terms of middle to front, but it’s about winning football matches, and we’ve now got that mentality. I thought our back four was outstanding, Tom Parratt and Brian Easton were brilliant and our two centre-backs, David Elebert and Mark McLaughlin were great, and I thought Alex Neil controlled the game from the centre of the park. Richard Offiong has got three goals in as many games, so it’s all pluses for us at the moment. It’s always important to get off to a good start but we’ve just told the players in there that the minute they start thinking they’re better than they are, it will come back to bite them on the bum.”

Clyde: Hutton (Thomson 54), McGregor, Potter, Higgins, Michael McGowan, Wilson, Smith (David McGowan 73), Masterton, Bradley, Arbuckle (McKenna 84), Imrie.

Subs Not Used: MacLennan, Traub.

Sent Off: McGregor (45). Booked: Arbuckle, Imrie, Wilson, McKenna.

Hamilton: Cerny, Parratt, Easton, Taylor (McCarthy 73), Elebert, McLaughlin (Gibson 82), Teggart (McLeod 63), McArthur, Neil, Offiong, Gilhaney.

Subs Not Used: Wake, Halliwell.

Booked: Gilhaney, Teggart, McLaughlin, Neil, McArthur.

Goals: Offiong 45 pen, Elebert 80.

Att: 1,350

Ref: K Clark

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