THIS result means that St Mirren are still waiting for their first league victory of 2009 but both teams appeared satisfied with the point which leaves them a step closer to SPL survival.
It was a strange afternoon for Hamilton's Tomas Cerny. The
Czech did not have a save to make but still managed to find himself ordered off for the cynical foul which deprived the opposition of a genuine goalscoring opportunity.
The home side elected to start with new signing Lamine Diatta on the bench and the former Senegal World Cup captain was as frustrated as manager Billy Reid when Accies failed to break the deadlock after only two minutes.
James McCarthy's speculative through ball caught the Saints defence napping and Joel Thomas, left with only Mark Howard to beat, ought to have notched his first goal for the Lanarkshire club.
Unfortunately for the Frenchman, a momentary lack of concentration saw him fail to take full control of the ball and the goalkeeper, without knowing a great deal about it, was able to make the save.
With his options greatly reduced by injury and suspension, Reid opted for a compact 3-5-2 formation with a view to denying the visitors space.
Kenny Deuchar, another striker who has yet to open his account for Accies, squandered an opening in the 28th minute, firing wildly over from eight yards after Thomas' persistence had succeeded in working the ball to him.
What, you might reasonably ask, were St Mirren doing while all this was going on? Not a lot, as it happens. One Jack Ross shot from the edge of the penalty area which cleared the crossbar by six yards was the sum total of their goal threat during the first third of the match.
Grant Evans earned the first caution of the afternoon for a late challenge on Garry Brady but it was hardly an over-physical affair.
McCarthy came closest to scoring three minutes from the interval. Cutting inside Scott Cuthbert, he made a yard of space for himself before crashing a left-foot drive against the base of the near post.
Billy Mehmet saw one full-blooded effort deflected behind by Martin Canning's excellent block as the Buddies reached half-time without registering a single attempt on target.
Accies continued to do the pressing after the break and it required a fine defensive header from Ross to nick McCarthy's cross away off the head of James McArthur.
Mark McLaughlin was next to be cautioned for claiming, a little too forcibly, that Chris Swailes had been barged to the ground by Mehmet as he attempted to reach a McCarthy corner.
With the home side virtually setting up base camp in Saints' half, Thomas managed to get on the end of a McArthur cutback but could find only the side netting with his shot.
Brady, one of the best players in a below-par Saints side, had an opportunity to make a mockery of the run of play when he got on the end of a Craig Dargo knock-on but, 15 yards out and under no pressure, he spooned his shot.
To their credit, the Paisley side came into it more towards the end and Stephen McGinn should have done better than to slice his shot wide after an initial effort had been blocked by McArthur.
Indeed, they would have taken all three points but for a professional foul by Cerny eight minutes from time. Brady's long ball released Craig Dargo and when he knocked it past the advancing goalkeeper he had his legs taken from him.
That foul proved to be the end of the afternoon for both players, with Cerny being shown a straight red card he could have no argument about and Dargo leaving the field on a stretcher.
The full article contains 652 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
