Hamilton 3 - 2 Raith: late winner for Accies
Hamilton Accies3
Andreu (65), Keatings (68), Scotland (90)
Raith Rovers2
Baird (45, 69)
Accies were rightly brimming with confidence, beginning the evening defending a six-game unbeaten run. But it was Rovers who threatened first, with a flashing 20-yard dipping volley by Grant Anderson just going over the bar after 17 minutes.
Accies finally sprung into life in 25 minutes when Ali Crawford sent Louis Longridge away on the right. His first-time low cross few across the face of the Rovers’ goal, but Mickael Antoine-Curier somehow failed to finish as he slid in.
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Hide AdAccies carved out another opening four minutes later when Darian Mackinnon drifted past midfielder Fraser Mullen to set up Frenchman Tony Andreu, but he clipped the ball wide from eight yards. Right on the break, John Baird atoned for an earlier miss when he ran on to a terrific ball from Calum Elliot to drill the ball low past Kevin Cuthbert to give the Fifers the lead. But the Lanarkshire side then scored twice in three minutes to go in front.
They drew level in 65 minutes when Antoine-Curier linked with Andreu, whose 18-yard shot took a wicked deflection off of Jason Thomson and flew past Robinson. Three minutes later Longridge’s cross from the right was headed home at the back post by James Keatings. Rovers raced to the other end and were level within a minute when Baird got his second of the night from an acute angle, before Scotland’s late intervention.
Hamilton: Cuthbert, Gordon, Devlin, Canning, Gillespie, Keatings (George 79), Crawford (Scotland 62), Longridge, Mackinnon, Andreu (Routledge 81), Antoine-Curier. Subs not used - Currie (Gk), Garcia Tena, Ryan, Kilday.
Raith: Robinson, Thomson, Booth, Watson, Hill, Fox, Cardle, Elliott (Smith 83), Anderson (Callachan 74), Mullen, Baird (Spence 86). Subs not used - Laidlaw, Donaldson, Ellis, Vaughan.
Ref: G Salmond. Att: 954