Accies reinforced their grip at the top of the league with this fine 4th win of the season against Morton. David Graham opened the scoring in a disappointing first half with a scorching shot but it took second half goals from Tony Stevenson (from the penalty spot) and substitute James Gibson to make the game safe.
With Dundee on Scottish Cup duty, Accies now have a five point lead at the top of the table.
Hamilton Accies 3 Morton 0
Irn Bru League Division 1
New Douglas Park, Hamilton
Saturday 8 March 2008
Accies reinforced their position at the top of the league with this hard fought win against Morton at New Douglas Park. Manager Billy Reid will have been particularly pleased with the result as it was achieved with two of his most important players, Alex Neil and James McArthur, missing out through suspension. Happily, both will be available for Tuesday's visit to Dunfermline. Tom Parratt returned to the side after injury and Mark Gilhaney and James McCarthy both started the game after being substitutes down at Dumfries. Morton, with former Gretna manager Davie Irons now in charge, had former Gretna players Ryan McGuffie and Allan Jenkins in the starting XI. Former Accies man Brian Wake was on the bench.
The game got off to a poor start for Accies with Brian Easton going down after a heavy challenge from Ryan McGuffie within the first minute. the big defender wa sable to continue after treatment but looked unhappy for quite a while. With the regular heartbeat of the midfield missing, Accies found the going tough in the early stages of the game as Morton seized the initiative. However, despite their territorial advantage and level of possession, the Greenock club found it hard to put Tomas Cerny under any genuine pressure.
There was a real blow for Accies after just 20 minutes when Tom Parratt went down injured and had to be stretchered off. Teenager James Gibson took his place and after a while, it was Tony Stevenson at right back and Gibson in midfield. Accies started to raise their game after this but, when they opened the scoring after 36 minutes it was slightly against the run of play. The goal was a classic "Route 1" effort, with a long ball from defence being lashed into the top corner by David Graham. It was the player's first goal at the stadium and it was an absolute belter.
Accies were given a huge boost in confidence by the goal and came mighty close to extending the lead before the break with two efforts that struck the woodwork. The first of these was a brilliant free kick by Tony Stevenson that beat David McGurn but rebounded to safety off the post. This was followed by a nice piece of skill by James Gibson who controlled the ball on his chest before volleying towards the goal. The ball dipped over McGurn's head but clipped the top of the crossbar on it's way over.
So Accies were ahead at the break and it was just about deserved on the balance of play. It only took them 9 minutes of the second half to grab that second crucial goal. It came when David Graham was found with a long pass to the right wing. he controlled the ball before slipping a terrific pas into James McCarthy's path. The youngster beat the Morton 'keeper to it but was clearly fouled for an obvious penalty. Tony Stevenson made a superb job of the spot kick and Accies were 2-0 up.
Accies were in control of things now and Morton could do little about the fine footwork being shown by David Graham and Mark Gilhaney in particular. A third goal seemed likely but it came from the surprising source of James Gibson. The teenager has impressed on his occasional appearances in the top team and was in the right place when Simon Mensing headed a Tony Stevenson free kick into the heart of the penalty area. Young James lashed the ball into the roof of the net and the points were safe.
Accies had a great chance to increase their lead even further when David Graham was sent clear on the left. David McGurn did well to block his shot and follow up efforts from Richard Offiong and James McCarthy were also kept out. Accies had the game by the scruff of the neck now and Billy Reid made a double change, with Richard Offiong and David Elebert being replaced by Andrew Waterworth and Chris Swailes. Waterworth looked lively in his cameo role and should be a good acquisition for the club. Brian wake was one of the subs used by Morton and he joined the game to applause from the Accies fans. Somehow, I don't think they would have been so generous had Accies not been leading by three goals at that stage.
The game petered out a bit towards the end and Accies were very worthy winners. Morton did have a couple of second half shots from free kicks but Tomas Cerny never looked like conceding a goal. In a relatively clean game, Simon Mensing was the only player cautioned by referee Conroy.
So it was a cracking three points for Accies against a team that had shown some improvement recently. The only dark cloud was the injury to Tom Parratt and it's hoped that he's not out for too long.
Hamilton: Cerny, Parratt (Gibson 20), Easton, McCarthy, Elebert (Swailes 74), McLaughlin, Graham, Mensing, Offiong (Waterworth 74), Stevenson, Gilhaney.
Subs Not Used: Barrau, Halliwell.
Booked: Mensing.
Goals: Graham 36, Stevenson 54 pen, Gibson 70.
Morton: McGurn, MacGregor, McLaughlin, Millar, Greacen, Harding, Finlayson (Stevenson 56), McGuffie (Russell 68), Weatherson (Wake 80), Jenkins, McAlistair.
Subs Not Used: Walker, Robinson.
Att: 1,980
Ref: S Conroy
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