Dan tells fans not to pan Canning

DANNY REDMOND has called for unity among Hamilton supporters after Martin Canning was once again the victim of verbal abuse.

Nasty chants aimed at the gaffer were clearly audible in the early moments of the second half on Saturday when Hamilton were fortunate to still be in the cup as Dunfermline, leading 1-0, contrived to miss three excellent chances.

Redmond, however, silenced the critics with a wonderful goal 15 minutes from time to force a replay at the SuperSeal tomorrow.

The midfielder said: “It spurs us on to do well for the boss when you hear some of the abuse from the stands.

“We have got to stick by him and the fans must too. So hopefully if we perform on the pitch we’ll get the fans back on side.

“I was delighted with the goal. It was my first of the season so I would have taken a tap-in, to be honest, but it was nice that I took a man on and stuck it in the corner.

“But more importantly I’m delighted we’re still in the cup.”

The Fifers know it was a missed opportunity to claim a top-flight scalp. Paul McMullan scored in his third consecutive Scottish Cup match this season to give them the lead in 30 minutes.

However, the 20-yearold, on loan from Celtic, missed an easier chance in 57 minutes while Michael Moffat and Kallum Higginbotham also fluffed their lines.

McMullan believes that had any of these chances been converted, Dunfermline would already be through.

He said: “The boys have been giving me a bit of stick because I haven’t scored in the league but every time a cup tie comes around I manage to find the net.

“It’s something I hope to keep up on Tuesday night.

“I’m really annoyed that I didn’t finish the second chance. It would probably have finished the tie.

“Michael had a chance straight after that, but it was a good save from the keeper to be fair.”