10-man Accies conquer Caley
Ten-man Accies picked-up a morale-boosting win and sent the league leaders crashing to their first defeat.
First-half goals from Lewis Smith and Andy Ryan put the home side on course and, despite facing a man fewer for more than an hour following the dismissal of Reegan Mimnaugh, a late Michael Gardyne goal was all Inverness could manage.
Accies head coach Stuart Taylor said: “I’m really, really proud of the lads.
“I thought we started really well. It was one thing that I asked them today – to come out the traps right away and we did that by going 2-0 up.
“For the last hour or so of the game I thought they defended impeccably well. I thought they were absolutely spot-on in everything they did.
“If I’m going to be picky, really disappointed for them not to get a clean sheet at the end because they deserved it. Really that was it – they deserved the clean sheet.”
Hamilton made a quick start and went ahead when a well-worked throw-in was flicked on to Smith who found himself in acres of space in the area.
The ball sat up nicely for the 21-year-old, who smashed a half-volley past the helpless Mark Ridgers.
And Accies, who started the day with just one win, doubled their lead before the half-hour mark.
Frontman Ryan did brilliantly to get on the end of a long ball and hold off Robbie Deas before feeding a pass back to the first goal-scorer.
Smith then completed the one-two, laying the ball off to Ryan who finished the move with a lovely left-footed finish, curling the ball into the bottom corner.
After perhaps their best halfhour of the season, Hamilton were then dealt a huge blow when Mimnaugh was sent off. The midfielder, booked earlier, was harried into a mistake by pressure from the Inverness frontline, forcing him to take down Roddy Macgregor and leaving referee Euan Anderson no choice but to produce the second yellow card.
After an earlier substitution, Billy Dodds made further changes in the second half as he looked to get his side back in the game, bringing on Billy Mckay and Anthony Mcdonald to replace Manny Duku and Wallace Duffy.
Despite Caley pressure in the early stages of the second period, Hamilton continued to stand firm, reducing the away side to shots from outside the area and blocking off any attempts they had at goal.
In the closing moments Inverness pulled back a consolation goal, with Gardyne bending his effort into the top right-hand corner. But it wasn’t enough for Inverness, whose eight-game unbeaten run came to an end.
ACCIES:
(4-1-4-1) Fulton 6, Matheson 6, Want 7 (Easton 80, 3), Popescu 7, Macdonald 6, Virtanen 6, Smith 8, Mimnaugh 4, Mullin 6, Redfern 6 (Hughes 68, 4), Ryan (Moyo 75, 3). Unused subs – Hilton (GK), Hamilton, Munro, Mcgowan ICT:(
4-4-1-1) Ridgers 5, Duffy 5 (Mcdonald 66, 3), Broadfoot 5, Deas 5, Harper 5, Walsh 3 (Sutherland 29, 5), Welsh 5, Allardice 5, Gardyne 6, Macgregor 5, Duku 3 (Mckay 46, 4). Unused subs – Mackay (GK), Jamieson, Mcalear