MISSION accomplished for Billy Reid and his Hamilton team as they ensured top flight football despite losing this end of season derby clash.
With no danger of going down Motherwell, as they have done since the commencement of the split, exhibited some carefree football to convincingly shoot down their near neighbours, who right until the final whistle found their usual game hijacked by ne
rves.
If Motherwell had an aim coming into what can historically be a feisty local dust-up it would have been not to get embroiled in just such an affair with a place in the Europa League theirs for the taking through the fair play standings. Perhaps, with the last thing they needed being a card-strewn barney, it was understandable their opening to the game was a little on the tepid side as Accies dominated.
Derek Lyle should at the very least have called on visiting keeper Graeme Smith to earn his money inside the opening two minutes when set up by James McCarthy instead of hurriedly slashing hopelessly wide. James McArthur was next to have a pop, only to see his netbound strike blocked on the line by the lunging frame of Well skipper Stephen Craigan.
For all Accies had pressed and for all McCarthy's touch and pace must have caught the eye of watching Ipswich manager Roy Keane it was Motherwell who took the lead with a perfectly executed example of a goal on the break. Cillian Sheridan broke through a non-existent Accies offside trap, and although the big striker was brilliantly denied by Tomas Cerny he showed admirable composure as he latched on to the rebound before teeing up David Clarkson to stroke home from 10 yards.
No doubt stunned at falling behind, Accies wasted little time in once again finding the territorial ascendancy. Mark McLaughlin was denied from point blank range by Smith, and they came even closer inside first half stoppage time when Paul Quinn somehow got back to scramble off the line after Lyle had dinked a shot over the out-rushing keeper. It was hard for the home bench and the home masses to take, especially with news of St Mirren taking the lead against Falkirk reverberating around the stadium.
Into the second half and, as ever, much of what was good about Accies revolved around their 18-year-old wonderkid, who surely has to be the most talked about McCarthy since the his namesake Senator in the 1950s. Despite the sporadic flashes from the most sought-after teenager since Britney Spears there was a growing sense of edginess, turning to downright nerviness about Accies who, despite the constant barking of Reid and his assistant Stuart Taylor were visibly retreating into their shell. Only a frankly aimless thrash from the hugely ineffectual Joel Thomas came even close to registering as an attempt on goal.
The sense of foreboding around the stadium hit new heights just short of the hour mark as Motherwell doubled their advantage courtesy of more abject defending. Cerny and Martin Canning got into a horrible tangle attempting to deal with a low Stephen Hughes centre to gift Sheridan with the sort of tap-in all strikers dream of.
Having shot themselves in the foot at the worst possible time Accies desperately needed something to reassert a foothold in the game in a bid to ward of the daunting prospect of going into the final day still not sure of their SPL status. The experienced heads of Mark McLaughlin and Simon Mensing led the way with rifling strikes from distance, both of which flew narrowly wide of target. However, that it took such speculative hits to stir some life into them says it all about how badly they struggled.
Bad was to go to worse for Accies in terms of the score line four minutes from time as Motherwell grabbed another, oh so simple goal. Sheridan effortlessly got to the line before lifting his head and picking out sub John Sutton who easily slotted home. By now though nobody really cared as results elsewhere meant Accies were safe.
