It was almost a fantastic day for Accies on Saturday, when they came within a couple of minutes of a rare win at Tannadice. Accies took the lead with an excellent goal by Richard Offiong after just 7 minutes and as the game went on it looked like they were going to deservedly grab all three points. However, the turning point came in the 83rd minute when Simon Mensing was shown his second yellow card and an inevitable red. It was backs to the wall stuff after that and it was Brian Easton who was the unlucky man who diverted a cross past Tomas Cerny in the 3rd of six and a half additional minutes. Accies gained just one point on St Mirren from a performance that surely deserved to be better rewarded.
Dundee United 1 Hamilton Accies 1
Tannadice Park, Dundee
Saturday, 22nd November 2008
Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League
This was another remarkable game in a roller coaster season for Accies. For the second consecutive game, they had a player ordered off and lost a late goal. In this instance, the unfortunate player to be sent off was Simon Mensing and Brian Easton ended a busy week with an own goal deep into added on time. The comments made by United manager Craig Levein after the game will grab all the headlines elsewhere, but they only serve to hide the fact that Accies controlled long spells of this game and would have deserved the win.
Billy Reid was forced into making one change to the team that came so close to taking a point from Celtic the previous weekend, with David Elebert coming in for the suspended Martin Canning. Accies settled quite quickly, although they conceded some early fouls. (With 2 minutes gone, they had already overtaken their foul count in the recent Co-operative Cup tie at Ibrox.) This clearly displeased Craig Levein, who was already having a word with the assistant referee nearest to him.
Accies stunned the home fans when they scored an excellent goal after just 7 minutes. It started with James McCarthy, who won the ball on the right side of midfield before giving it to Simon Mensing on the right wing. He sent over a delightful low cross that Richard Offiong thumped past the exposed Zaluska in the home goal. There were half hearted appeals for offside from Lee Wilkie but the officials were not interested. Naturally, the home side came back at Accies and Accies had Alex Neil to thank for keeping them ahead when he cleared an inswinging corner kick from Craig Conway off the goalline. Alex almost increased Accies' lead with a corner kick of his own which deceived the United defence and hit Zaluska's near post. Accies then had Tomas Cerny to thank for preserving their lead when he saved well at the near post after Lee Wilkie had set up Darren Dods.
United had a great chance to equalise early in the second half when a mistake by the otherwise superb Chris Swailes gave Francisco Sandaza a clear sight of the Accies goal. However, Tomas Cerny saved at his feet as he tried to round the Accies 'keeper. Accies were still giving as good as they got in midfield and ought to have doubled their lead a few minutes later on the counter attack. A sweet passing move involving James McArthur and Simon Mensing ended with Richard Offiong being left with only Zaluska to beat but he hurried his shot and missed the target. A few minutes later Richard had another half chance but was tackled before he could get off his shot.
United were beginning to press Accies a bit more and the yellow cards were now coming thick and fast. James McCarthy had been on the end of a lot of rough treatment from the United defence, with a couple of facial knocks and really solid tackles. He was frustrated at the lack of protection he was getting and after one challenge too many, he gathered the ball while on the ground and flung it at the feet of Lee Wilkie. This resulted in a caution from the referee. Mark McLaughlin and Scott Robertson also saw yellow after a wee bit of pushing and shoving, while Simon Mensing received one for dissent. For United, Willo Flood and Lee Wilkie were booked, as was Francisco Sandaza for "simulation".
So the game was beginning to boil up and it reached it's nadir after 83 minutes. James McArthur was fouled and Craig Conway leant over him to accuse him of feigning injury. There was more argy-bargy and this led to Conway's yellow card and a second one for Simon Mensing. This meant that it was now a case of defend at all costs for Accies, with players throwing themselves in front of shots and everyone giving their all. Tomas Cerny was in fine form but he needed treatment after another aerial challenge from Lee Wilkie, who was now playing up front as an additional striker.
Referee Crawford Allan added on an extra six and a half minutes and Accies survived three of these before conceding a really unfortunate goal. A corner kick from the right was flicked on by Jon Daly and hit Brian Easton before looping over Tomas Cerny and into the net. It was cruel luck on an Accies team that had fought so hard for the win their play would have deserved. But it was not to be and both teams had to settle for a point.
All of the Accies team played well in this game, but it was frustrating that again their failure to collect more points was largely due to their own indiscipline. Had Simon Mensing, who had an excellent game, not been shown two yellow cards for non football offences, then they would certainly have won the game. However, it was a point that most would not have expected Accies to get and a point gained at Tannadice is a good result, regardless of the circumstances. Accies now have a critical home match against Kilmarnock next week and I suspect that it can't come quickly enough for Billy Reid's improving team.
After the game, Billy Reid said, "It's two points dropped for us; we cut them open and to lose a goal in injury time is hugely disappointing. I thought there was only one team playing football in the first 45 minutes. We totally outclassed them. Sure, they pinned us back in the second half, but it was all high, diagonal balls. I don't think our goalkeeper got any protection in the last 10 minutes and, when United got their goal, someone had a go at him on the deck. The goal we lost was was just a stramash."
Craig Levein was less impressed, saying "In all honesty, I thought we had Hamilton pinned back for most of the game and we deserved at least a point. They basically played a 3-6-1; camped on the edge of their box and relied on the counter-attack. I don't mind teams coming here and sitting in, but they were time wasting at the end of the first half and two minutes into the second half. If the referee points to his watch for time-wasting, he shouldn't do it 12 times. He was poor today. There were a lot of bad decisions - for both sides."
Dundee Utd: Zaluska, Dillon, Wilkie, Dods, Dixon, Flood, Scott Robertson (David Robertson 85), Gomis (Swanson 75), Conway, Daly, Sandaza (Goodwillie 85).
Subs Not Used: McGovern, Feeney, Kovacevic, Buaben.
Booked: Flood, Wilkie, Scott Robertson, Sandaza, Conway.
Goals: Easton 90 og.
Hamilton: Cerny, Elebert, Swailes, McLaughlin, McClenahan, McArthur, Neil, Mensing, Easton, McCarthy, Offiong (Akins 88, Thomas 90).
Subs Not Used: Murdoch, Graham, Gibson, Lyle, Ettien.
Sent Off: Mensing (83). Booked: McCarthy, McLaughlin, Mensing.
Goals: Offiong 7.
Att: 6,108
Ref: C Allan
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