New Douglas Park
 
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Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic
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Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic
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Hamilton vs Alloa Athletic
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Clyde v Alloa Athletic
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Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic
There were plenty of positives to take from “The Wasps” display at New Douglas Park in their League Cup 2nd Round tie against Hamilton Accies, the end score line of 4-1 not a true reflection on the evening. Accies took the lead in spectacular style, Tony Andreu putting the home side ahead. Alloa came straight back into the game and had chances to score before Greig Spence scored a wonderful equaliser, it was the home fans who were showing discontent at half-time and it wasn’t until Martin Canning headed home on 66 minutes did the home side start to get back on top.
barry smith at new douglas park
I thought the score line was harsh on the boys, I thought in the first half we created good chances, Greig Spence scored another great goal and the team worked extremely hard, we had our way we wanted to play and it worked in the first half, so our dressing room is disappointed. However we must look at the positives and how well we did against a good Hamilton Accies side, we cannot take anything away from Hamilton they had a lot of the ball, but that’s the way we set up to play, was there three goals in the game I’m not sure?
The players showed a great response after going a goal down, but we have good players, we have a good dressing room and they work hard for each other and we scored a good goal, but we also created other chances as well, Greig Spence scored a great goal but he had other chances on the night as did Liam Buchanan. So disappointed but we will focus on the positives. Hamilton Accies shows us a bit of respect by changing formation because they were not getting a lot of joy. The one negative thing was the goals we lost, looking back in know we can do better at the goals we lost but we will focus on the positives because I thought we played well against a good Hamilton Accies team. We kept our shape well, worked hard and on the evening created chances ourselves especially in the first half, the result on the evening I did not think was a fair score line given the way we played in the first half.
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Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic
In a nervy game at New Douglas Park, Hamilton on Saturday, the home side eventually won 2-1 to put them top of the table with just two games to go, there was not much between the teams and in a frantic last ten minutes “The Wasps” had looked the most likely to score, in the end Barry Smith’s side gave everything but could not pick up an equalising goal and now go into another difficult game against Paul Hartley’s promotion seeking Dundee team. No games are easy at this stage of the season but the return of ex manager Paul Hartley to Recreation Park will make the game all the more exciting – The Dundee fans section is all ticket, which can only be purchased from Dens Park, while the home side of the ground is cash at turnstile or by season ticket.
barry smith at hamilton
I don’t think there was much between the teams but we made a couple of mistakes for their goals. At the end we looked the more likely to score and credit to my players who put Hamilton Accies under a lot of pressure. I just think a couple of mistakes cost us today, I always ask them to pass the ball but we took a couples of chances which I would probably have asked them not to do, but we did extremely well to get back into the game. The players response after going behind was great, they are a great set of boys who worked very hard, as they do in every game and by the end of the game it was us we looked the more likely of the teams to score and credit to the players for that. It was a nervy finish you could feel it in the stadium and it was credit to the players for going and putting that pressure on Hamilton – as I said I thought the players worked extremely hard but it was the case of a couple of mistakes, and we are disappointed today but I cannot ask more it terms of work rate. We are in a good position in the fact we are four points above Cowdenbeath – but the boys know they will need to work hard to maintain that. Next week will just be another game for Alloa, albeit the return of Paul Hartley with his Dundee side, it is an important game for both sides but it will be treated just as any other game. Next week we need to cut out the errors which cost us today and with that effort and commitment, which the players have shown since I’ve come in will take us through.
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Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic
“The Wasps” completed a great double over league leaders Hamilton Accies by defeating them 1-0 home and away this season, this was “The Wasps” first win in the league at New Douglas Park since a 4-3 victory in October, 2003. Manager Paul Hartley made changes to his side for the teams third game within a week. Hamilton Accies playing at home had most possesion but the Alloa defence looked resolute and when the opportunity arose the visitors caused problems going close on the break. The winning goal was straight from the training ground, Michael Doyle did great to win a corner in the opening minute of the second half and Ryan McCord found Daryll Meggatt at space at the back post to head home his first goal for the club. Alloa indeed had chances to increase their lead when Willie Robertson and Eddie Ferns went close.
paul hartley after victory over leaders
Today’s game was a totally different game, in the way that I set out my team, we changed our system and it was sort of sprung on my players, but in terms of what my players gave me – they were outstanding, we came here to frustrate Hamilton Accies and might have even scored a couple of more goals on the counter attack. It was our third hard game in a week and my players are not used to that, so we changed the personnel and I thought they were absolutely outstanding. Scott Bain made a couple of outstanding saves but we have come to expect that of Scott, he is the outstanding young goalkeeper in Scotland and I keep saying that, I don’t think he will be with us too long but we want to enjoy his benefit when he is still with us, it just shows you his levels of concentration when he has to make a vital save. I thought the full team were great, the players who came in Darren Young and Willie Robertson but in Kevin Cawley he was brilliant all over the park, in terms of the way he has taken his game to a new level – we are doing ok. It was a tough shift for him, alone up front until we could get players forward to support him, and even in the second half when he came deeper, he has a great work ethic about him, he never complains or moans, we give him a job and he goes and does it, but all my players have a great work ethic about themselves and we showed good quality also in scoring the goal. We are doing ok, we keep saying that we are trying to accumulate as many points as we can, just now we are in a tough run of fixtures with Morton, Dundee and Falkirk in our next three games. The players deserve the credit, when we put a team out, we pick a team which we think will win the game and they did that today.
It was a very good goal with Michael Doyle brilliant in the build-up play around the goal, great unselfish running which was required today because we knew Hamilton would have most possession of the ball. We had worked at the corner in training, it was another different set piece because I knew Hamilton Accies had been watching and videoed some of our set pieces, it was a free header at the back post, so pleased for Daryll he deserved it. It was a great result for our fans, they pay good money and travel all over the county to watch their favourites albeit a small band, we know we do not have the biggest support in the world but we have given them something to cheer about but the players deserve all the credit.
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Hamilton Academical v Alloa Athletic
SPL side Hamilton Accies progressed to the 5th Round of this season’s Scottish Cup which will be a massive relief for Billy Reid’s team after they finally overcame “The Wasps” who never stopping trying in a game in which the players can be proud of their display, helped by a good Alloa support who never stopped singing and backing their team throughout the entire match. Alloa Athletic started the game positively and although they had the better of the first half hour their nice passing lacked a cutting edge when chances were presented. Indeed “The Wasps” certainly had a good shout for a penalty after only ten minutes when Kevin McDonald was tripped in the box by ex Stirling Albion defender Andy Graham, this was a pivotal moment in the game.
Michael McGowan was causing the Premier League side many problems and his long range effort from the half way line which nearly caught out Tomas Cerny showed great vision, unfortunately he aggravated an injury which had threatened to keep him out of the match and had to be replaced on the hour mark and Accies dominated most of the play there after. Although Hamilton Accies could claim to have the best chances in the second half it was not until the final minute of the game that they were presented with their best opportunity to score.
Jim McAlister broke clear and Stevie Robertson raced out fully committed and brought down the player, penalty and referee Alan Muir red carded Robertson, his second red card in cup games for The Wasps this season having previously been red carded in CIS Cup game against Aberdeen. David Gormley then became an Alloa hero diving to save Simon Mensing spot kick, he was disappointed however late in injury time when Portuguese star Flavio Paixao headed strongly into the net to finally secure victory for the SPL side.
allan maitland after cup dream ends at hamilton
My take on that game is that, I thought for the first twenty minutes we played really well, we had a game plan to try and attack them with Michael McGowan on the left hand side which I thought worked really well, we had opportunities when Andy Scott got in and squared it to Bryan Prunty, the one that Stuart Noble should have played in to Andy Scott, but the big thing for us, is that we had to get ahead of Hamilton to make sure that all fears that they have in their head become real and for us that was the penalty kick, we had a great claim for a penalty kick, in fact my players are telling me at half-time there was no if’s or buts it was a penalty kick, Kevin McDonald was tripped in the box, stonewall penalty, don’t get it, for their point of view in the last minute they got their penalty, and there was no argument it was a penalty, but for our goalkeeper to be sent off in the last minute I thought it was a wee bit harsh, we had players round about so to be shown a straight red was harsh.
However Hamilton were the better side, the better side won, I think that’s fair to say and I don’t think in the second half we managed to create any real chances, but what we have done is come to a SPL side, we have made them wait until the 92nd minute before they felt relaxed and safe about it, we worked really hard, we were well organised and we must use that as a springboard going forward, I think the players effort and application was fantastic, however I think we lacked a bit of belief in the second half and didn’t keep the ball enough to cause them a problem, but in the first twenty minutes of the game we did that really well. I felt the most important thing was to make sure Hamilton had nerves in the game, had we got to half time level it would have been a great thing for us, if we had got ahead of them it would have asked them more questions, the odds of us coming here and winning are huge and we had to find ways of reducing that, and that was to get ahead. So we were pushing bodies forward for the first twenty five minutes and it worked for us, we kept taking the ball off them in good areas and with Kevin McDonald , Andy Scott and Michael McGowan arriving in the box to help us – but we had to score in that period, but there is no doubt getting the penalty would have been a turning point for us certainly, I feel as though their supporters would have been on their backs quite early based on the last few weeks. I also have to mention David Gormley’s penalty save which was quite outstanding he was volunteering himself as soon as Stevie Robertson went off, it was a great save, we had actually spoke to Stevie about where Simon Mensing was likely to put his penalty kicks but I forgot to mention it to Gorm’s.
You must give credit to Hamilton as well, they are the SPL side and everyone expects them to win, there was a lot of pressure on them and they won the game and deserved to do so, we must recognise that.
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