LATEST MATCH REPORT
Reports from matches this season go to the fixtures section and click on the report linked to the match you want to read about. Alternatively for earlier seasons go to the fixtures section of the archive for the relevant year.
HAMILTON 1 : 0 QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 18th August 2007
MacDonald
Rating: 6.98
Paton
Rating: 5.75
Scally
Rating: 5.96
Aitken
Rating: 4.67
Harris
Rating: 5.40
Burns
Rating: 6.11
MacFarlane
Rating: 4.62
O'Neill
Rating: 4.29
S1
Tosh
Rating: 3.51
S2
McQuilken
Rating: 4.27
S3
Bingham
Rating: 4.27
SUBSTITUTES
S1 - 19
Mole
Rating: 5.87
S2 - 37
Dobbie
Rating: 4.78
S3 - 81
Gilmour
Robertson
Grindlay
SUBMIT YOUR mom RATINGS
Members of the Internet Fan Club can award players marks out of ten for their performance today. The player with the most points awarded in the two days following a match will be the IFC Man of the Match. All of the points will then be added to a running total for each player and the results published in the mom League Table.

Name or IFC No.
MATCH SUMMARY
Gordon Chisholm didn't have his selection problems to seek in the build up to this one. Jim Lauchlan was still suspended, Jim Thomson and Jamie Adams, still out and joined by Sean O'Connor on the injured list and Liam Atkin had failed to win a contract. So it was a pieced together back four with Neil Scally joining Andy Aitken in the middle of the back four and Robert Harris coming in at full back, allowing Jamie McQuilken to play on the left side of a five man midfield which saw Steve Tosh attempting to get forward in support of the lone striker, David Bingham. Stephen Dobbie and Brian Gilmour had to be content with places on the bench alongside Grindley, Robertson and Mole.

If it was the intended tactic to sit tight and try to pinch the points then it backfired in 17 minutes after an unfortunate howler from Andy Aitken. With little imminent danger he tried to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald from about 30 yards out only to be woefully short and Richard Offiong ran through to mis-hit a shot from the edge of the box that MacDonald almost seemed to dive past, so slow was it in reaching the goal! Never the less, regardless of how it got there it finished in the net and left Queens with a mountain to climb. Two minutes later Steve Tosh hobbled off the park to be replaced by Jamie Mole after seemingly picking up a knock.

A solid wall
Accies were well on top at this point and Offiong headed past from a free kick before Queens started to come into the match. In fact our best move of the match arrived five minutes later when a fine interchange of passes saw John O'Neill burst into the box and Halliwell rushed from his line to block at his feet. As if we didn't have enough troubles to seek Jamie McQuilken was next to limp off having gone over on his ankle. He was replaced by Dobbie who joined Mole up front as Bingham came across to the left of midfield. Dobbie and Mole though gave Accies back line more difficulty than the earlier combinations and five minutes before the break Mole got away down the right and tried to slide the ball across the six yard box for Dobbie to tap in but though his ball beat Halliwell, it didn't elude the last defender who hacked clear. Hamilton bounced back though and after Elebert flicked a header across the face of goal MacDonald had to leave his line to block an Offiong effort with his thigh.

The early drama in the second period concerned Hamilton's keeper, Bryn Halliwell, who crashed into his own centre half Elebert whilst clearing a ball under pressure from Mole. He received some five minutes of treatment on the park but couldn't carry on, leaving the park clutching his shoulder. The Czech keeper Alex Cerny was his replacement. Queens immediately lofted a high ball in on him from their first corner and he fumbled it but O'Neill chip of the loose ball missed the top corner of goal.

Queens defend
On the hour mark Taylor's header from a left sided corner was cleared off the line by Stephen Dobbie and a minute later young James McCarthy replaced David Winters. A few minutes later an inventive free kick when everyone was expecting a shot saw Alex Neil flick the ball into the penalty area for a completely unmarked Gilhaney to work MacDonald with a header. Wake replaced Offiong before a fabulous block by Robert Harris probably prevented McCarthy doubling the home team's advantage.

Queens look to work an opening from a free kick
Chisholm's final throw of the dice saw Brian Gilmour given 15 minutes in relief of Bingham but it was Accies who continued to look more like extending their lead. McCarthy's shot from 20 yards brought a flying block out of MacDonald and Gilhaney failed to turn in the rebound. Queens last chance for an equaliser came and went when Gilmour's driven cross was flicked by the head of Dobbie and flew scraped past the post with Cerny rooted to the spot. There was still time for Gilhaney to force another fine low stop from MacDonald before the final whistle.

The difficult start continues then and only one point has been gained from the first three games with the squad short handed. Those injuries and suspensions are mostly clear now and we need to start picking up some points with the home game against Livingston, also struggling so far, next weekend.

Ewan Lithgow
Photographs from David Gow


[Back to Queens front page]