IT MAY not have the status of an Old Firm or Edinburgh clash, but judged on yesterday's match, the Lanarkshire derby is up there in terms of thrills, passion and entertainment. For this was a terrific game, served up by two committed and skilful team
s trying to play attacking, passing stuff and giving their all for their club's cause, with four second-half goals of quality.
Yet the first half-hour gave little indication that this would turn out to be a minor classic. Both defences were in control, and Mark Reynolds man-marked Hamilton's highly dangerous Simon Mensing almost out of the game.
Motherwell had the ball in the net after 12 minutes, but referee Craig Thomson judged that John Sutton had unfairly challenged Hamilton goalkeeper Tomas Cerny when rising for Chris Humphrey's cross.
At the other end Guillaume Beuzelin shot wide before the Frenchman was involved in the controversial moments around the half-hour mark which brought this game exploding into life. Beuzelin was booked for tripping Jim O'Brien and that seemed harsh. But when he was a tad late in tackling Mark Reynolds in front of the referee less than two minutes later, Thomson produced yellow and red cards.
"Beuzelin was making his first start today and he is gutted and frustrated," said Hamilton manager Billy Reid afterwards. "It certainly changed the game, but we never sat back, and I always felt we had a chance."
Cerny saved well from Tom Hately's free-kick, and then defied Ross Forbes from the penalty spot after Richie Hastings had upended O'Brien.
Referee Thomson was inconsistent. His second booking of Beuzelin had been harsh, yet he failed to book Hastings at the penalty for a worse foul, so the Hamilton defender stayed on the pitch when he was indeed booked later.
Thomson's inconsistent day was summed up by his second-half booking of Motherwell substitute Steve Jennings. Thomson indicated it was for repeated fouling – the player had been on the pitch less than three minutes.
He sent Hamilton's kit man Danny Cunning from the dugout to the stand for his protests. The record books are being searched to see if it's a first.
As the first half ended it was a tale of Cerny defying Motherwell. He saved from Sutton's header, then dived at the same player's feet to block his effort, before pulling off a diving parry from a Hately screamer. The Czech revealed part of his motivation: "My family were in the stand." Accies' fans might chip in to bring them over every week.
The second half was wonderful – end-to-end stuff with the ten men of Hamilton running themselves into the ground.
After Cerny pulled off a double save from Sutton, Mensing finally eluded Reynolds to head home Marco Paixao's corner. Mensing gestured to Reynolds as if to say "lost ya", but it was in good humour.
Mikael Antoine Curier almost made it two with a shot that went just wide, before Jamie Murphy scored the goal of the game, a 35-yard shot high into the net. Team-mate Lukas Jutkiewicz joked that he was just about to berate Murphy for not passing to him "and then the ball went flying past me into the top corner, an incredible strike".
As he had done in the first half, Cerny again saved at the feet of Motherwell players – "you have to do it in the Scottish game", he said.
Hamilton's courage was rewarded when they took the lead after 82 minutes, James Wesoloski's cross headed home by Paixao. Cerny then defied the visitors constantly, and even got a hand to Motherwell's second, but could not stop Jutkiewicz's close-range effort off a Giles Coke cross with three minutes left.
It was an equaliser Motherwell probably deserved, but Hamilton manager Reid said: "The character and effort of my team today was second to none. For what they put in, they deserved to win."
Motherwell's Jutkiewicz said : "Credit to Hamilton for the way they played with ten men."
MAN OF THE MATCHPlenty of candidates for Motherwell, but Tomas Cerny gets the nod for his penalty save and several other excellent stops that kept his side in the match.
QUICK FACT
The Hamilton programme interviewed the Paixao twins, a.k.a. Jedwardo. Marco claimed elder brother status – by five minutes. Flavio said: "Yes, but I am better looking."
TALKING POINT
Motherwell manager Jim Gannon refused to speak to the press after the match. We have a job to do, Jim, why didn't you do yours?
