Accies advanced into the quarter finals of the CIS Insurance Cup on Tuesday with a well earned win against Kilmarnock at New Douglas Park. Teenagers James McCarthy and James McArthur were the men who got the first half goals, but this was a superb team performance.
Hamilton Accies 2 Kilmarnock 0
New Douglas Park
Tuesday, 25th September 2007
CIS Insurance Cup Round 3
Accies marched into the quarter finals of the CIS Insurance cup with a marvellous display against Kilmarnock at New Douglas Park. Manager Billy Reid made four changes to the team that drew with Livingston at the weekend, with Mark McLaughlin, Brian Easton, Alex Neil and Stuart Taylor being rested in advance of the game at Perth on Saturday. Their replacements were Chris Swailes (captain for the night), James Gibson, David Winters and Tony Stevenson.
The visitors were the hot favourites to win this game but Accies never let them settle. The only genuine threat posed by Killie came in the shape of winger Willie Gibson, a player well known to Accies from his time at Palmerston. He gave Tom Parratt a hard time in the early stages and his dangerous crosses meant that Bryn Halliwell had to be on his toes. However, the Accies teenage midfield trio of McCarthy, McArthur and Stevenson took charge of things and the result was that Richard Offiong, Mark Gilhaney and David Winters saw plenty of the ball in forward positions. One surprising aspect of the game was the fact that the Kilmarnock defenders were content to stand off the Accies players when they had the ball and this gave them the time to pick their passes. Killie had to make an early change when Rhian Dodds limped off to be replaced by Ian Flannigan.
Accies took the lead after 16 minutes with a well taken goal by 16 year old James McCarthy. He received the ball from the left wing and was given time to control it before thumping a left foot shot low past Alan Combe from 12 yards out. The goal was just about deserved on the balance of play but the Accies goal led a bit of a charmed life for a few minutes afterwards, with Willie Gibson and tall striker Colin Nish causing problems for the hoops.
David Winters should have extended the lead for Accies when he was sent clean through on the left. His low shot beat Combe but hit the outside of the net. Accies were not to be denied for long and they scored a decisive second goal after 37 minutes. This time it was another cross into the area that seemed to strike the arm of a falling defender. As the Accies fans claimed a penalty, the ball rolled out to James McArthur at the edge of the area and he smacked it low past Combe and into the bottom corner. It was an excellent goal and the stadium erupted. Things nearly got even better for Accies shortly afterwards when Tom Parratt (who has yet to record his first Accies goal), broke into the Killie area and saw his close range shot well saved by Combe. Kilmarnock tried their best to grab a goal back before the interval but the Accies defence held firm.
Visiting manager Jim Jefferies made a bold double switch at half time in a vain attempt to rescue the tie. He took off Craig Bryson and Alan Johnston, neither of whom had impressed and replaced them with Jamie Hamill and Spaniard David Fernandez. Fernandez was to make a big impression on the game later. Jefferies had now played all of his cards and could only watch from the sidelines as Accies continued to dominate the game.
As the visitors tried to get back into the game, they began to leave more and more gaps at the back. They did cause the occasional scare for the Accies defence but then the Accies forwards were causing trouble of their own at the other end. Brian Wake replaced Richard Offiong and the top scorer must have covered every blade of artificial grass in the stadium. Big Brian caused different kinds of problems for the visitors and was desperately unlucky not to score when he got onto the end of an exquisite chip from James McArthur. Combe saved his volley well and repeated the feat near the end when he tipped a Gilhaney piledriver around the post. As time ran out for the Killie, they made a fruitless appeal for a penalty after Colin Nish went down in the area after trying to score. David Fernandez carried his complaints too far for the liking of Kenny Clark and saw two yellow cards and a red card shown at him within about 5 seconds. He then had to be restrained as he was led up the tunnel. With Fernandez's departure went Kilmarnock's chance of rescuing the game. Many of the Kilmarnock faithful voted with their feet and left the stadium long before the end.
This was an excellent team performance by Accies and it must rank as their best result in many seasons. The fact that it was achieved without several key players speaks volumes for the youth policy that the club has put in place and suggests that this young Accies team may well be going places. Chris Swailes was named as the sponsor's man of the match but really that nomination could have gone to any of the Accies players in this game.
Hamilton: Halliwell, Parratt, Gibson, McCarthy (Easton), Elebert, Swailes, Winters, McArthur, Offiong (Wake), Stevenson, Gilhaney
Subs Not Used: McLeod, Fraser, Cerny
Goals: McCarthy, McArthur
Kilmarnock; Combe, Fowler, Murray, Lilley, Wright, Ford, Gibson, Dodds (Flannigan), Nish, Bryson (Fernandez), Johnston (Hamill).
Subs Not Used: Jarvis, Rascle
Booked: Lilley, Wright
Sent off; Fernandez
Att: 2627
Ref: K Clark
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