Archives | Hamilton 1 Dunfermline 0

It was ninth v eighth as Hamilton hosted the Pars for the second time this season. The sides both sat on 24 points from their 25 games but the Fifers ahead on goal difference.

Head coach Michael Tidser made one change from the side that drew 0-0 with Queen`s Park just three days before, Lewis McCann starting in place of Connor Young. The 20 year old signed from Edinburgh City in the January with 19 goals to his credit was one of seven on the bench. Out since November, Andrew Tod returned to the subs bench taking the place of Dapo Mebude who had departed on loan to Bulgarian side Septemvri Sofia for the remainder of the season.

The Hamilton starting eleven showed two changes from the side that lost to Raith Rovers the previous Saturday. Reghan Tumilty and Stuart McKinstry started in place of the absent Ricki Lammie and Connor Smith who found himself on the bench alongside two former Pars strikers Kevin O`Hara and Nikolay Todorov.

It was McCann who got away the first shot of the evening, his fifth minute effort from 25 yards out being held by Hamilton keeper Dean Lyness. The visitors shown patience and Kieran Ngwenya was next invited to create danger up the left as he was target of a Kyle Benedictus pass but the keeper again came out on top. McKinstry and Oli Shaw tried to take the home side forward but both times the defence saw the ball out.

When Tashan Oakley-Boothe sprayed the ball right to Archie Stevens, the young player on-loan from Rangers displayed good close control skills to drive into the Accies box. McCann picked up his pass and tried to tee up Ephraim Yeboah who went down in the box but only an 18th minute corner followed. Ewan Otoo sent that over from the right earning another and that one was met by Jeremiah Chilokao-Mullen. The central defender`s header looked to be deflected over but the officials thought not.

Hamilton threatened when they did get near the Dunfermline box but the visitors dominated possession looking for the opportunity that could breach the Accies defence. In 27 minute Yeboah`s pass sent McCann infield where Sean McGinty crudely halted his progress. A free kick was awarded 30 yards out but Lewis sent that high over both the four man wall and the crossbar.

In 32 minutes former Par, Kyle Macdonald, supplied a dangerous ball to the far post. Tumilty met it and Benedictus was happy to concede the corner. Shaw got a head to the delivery from the right but Tobi Oluwayemi held. Dunfermline broke away up the right through McCann and David Wotherspoon got a shot on target but was blocked. Next a Ngwenya cross almost travelled to Yeboah but Lyness recovered the slightly overhit ball. Back at the other end a Benedictus miscue earned Hamilton a 38th minute corner from which Scott Robinson fired over the crossbar.

On 42 minutes Oluwayemi effortlessly plucked a powerful Macdonald cross out of the damp February air but next move McKinstry forced a corner on the left. Fortunately that came to nothing and the first half fizzled out with nothing to trouble the scoresheet.

Half Time: Hamilton Accies 0 Dunfermline 0

A 48th minute corner for the home side was headed away by Chilokoa-Mullen and then smashed wide left by Accies half time sub Connor Smith. Play swiftly switched to the other end with McCann earning a corner. Taken short by Otoo to Stevens, the young man played an inviting ball into the near post but only to be well defended. That heralded a spell of Dunfermline pressure during which a Wotherspoon shot was deflected for a corner on the left and Stevens had an effort deflected into Lyness` arms.

Just 11 minutes into the second half Connor Young replaced David Wotherspoon before Hamilton had their best chance of the match so far when Tumilty powered a shot on target that Oluwayemi dived to his left to hold. Connor Young`s first involvement saw him blast on target from the right side of the box but only a corner resulted. Then another good effort for Hamilton with Oluwayemi saving from Robinson. In 62 minutes Shaw sent another effort wide but next minute he made ground up the right and picked out McKINSTRY 20 yards out and this time the ball was dispatched into the bottom left of the Fifers net. 1-0

The crossbar was hit by McKinstry five minutes later but Chilokoa-Mullen and Benedictus were in the opposition box to get touches on a free kick lobbed forward by Oakley-Boothe. Omar Taylor-Clarke replaced Oakley-Boothe with nine minutes remaining but was Accies sub O`Hara whose shot was denied by Oluwayemi. When the Pars pushed forward Hamilton tried hard to cash in on the break and Shaw was unlucky to direct an O`Hara cross wide left.

A late chance for Young was blocked from getting away a shot from the edge of the box when surrounded by three opponents and the home side would see the match out to collect all three points. Dunfermline lost their second game running at New Douglas Park by 1-0 and as a consequence drop to ninth.

HAMILTON: Dean Lyness: Reghan Tumilty, Barry Maguire, Seanute McGinty (c), Tony Gallacher (Stephen Hendrie 85): Jamie Barjonas (Connor Smith HT), Steven Bradley (Kevin O`Hara 76), Kyle MacDonald, Stuart McKinstry (Euan Henderson 80): Scott Robinson (Charlie Telfer 85): Olly Shaw
SUBS NOT USED: Jackson Longridge, Dylan McGowan, Nikolay Todorov, Charlie Albinson (GK)
SCORER: McKinstry (63)
YELLOW CARDS: Bradley (70), Smith (83), Shaw (90+3)

DUNFERMLINE: Tobi Oluwayemi: Chris Hamilton, Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, Kyle Benedictus (c), Kieran Ngwenya: David Wotherspoon (Connor Young 56), Tashan Oakley-Boothe (Omar Taylor-Clarke 81): Archie Stevens, Ewan Otoo, Lewis McCann: Ephraim Yeboah.
SUBS NOT USED: Joe Chalmers, Tommy Fogarty, Craig Clay, Andrew Tod, Jay Hogarth (GK)
YELLOW CARDS: McCann (84), Chilokoa-Mullen (90+4)

REFEREE: Chris Graham
ATTENDANCE: 1098
WEATHER: Changeable 5C

NEXT MATCH: William Hill Championship (home) v Morton, Saturday 1st March 2025, 3.00pm kick off at KDM Group East End Park

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