Accies steamroller dismal Dee to tee up play-off cracker
HOW Hamilton Accies must hope this week’s Play-off Final ties go as smoothly as this canter in the Lanarkshire sunshine.
Emphatic winners against Dundee, Martin Canning’s men dodged the bullet of automatic relegation in a manner which suggested they didn’t know what all the fuss had been about.
After 25 minutes, it was 2-0 and all over, pretty much anyway.
Within the hour it was three and easy.
Not bad going, given they had lost their four previous matches.
Their prize, of course, is the chance to do it all again this week against Dundee’s city neighbours United.
At Tannadice on Thursday and then back here at New Douglas Stadium a week today, it’s a shootout to see who plays in which division next term.
Battle through, and the format is in their favour, and Hamilton will compete in the top flight for the fourth season in a row.
That might not sound like a huge length of time to survive in the Premiership but it is the longest run in the proud club’s history.
The first moment of note was actually a Dundee miss, Paul McGowan shooting straight at Remi Matthews.
How the Dens Park men rued that mistake.
After that it was all Accies, with the goals arriving in timely fashion.
Number one came from an Ali Crawford corner and was contentious.
Dundee keeper Scott Bain came for the ball but was outmuscled – Dens Park boss Neil McCann later argued was fouled – by Michael Devlin who headed on for Rakish Bingham to bundle home from close range.
If the opener was a little scrappy, the second, which arrived two minutes later from Giannis Skondras, was a stonker.
The Greek was 20 yards out and running at pace when he met David Templeton’s flick on, but he absolutely smashed it in at the top corner. And just like that, the tension eased.
Had it not been for a tidy bit of defending on the part of Dundee defender James Vincent, who blocked Bingham’s effort at the last, it would have been three at the break.
As it was, Accies fans didn’t have long to wait for another.
Templeton, who had featured in the second, was bundled over by Paul McGowan in the box and referee Crawford Allan pointed to the spot.
Dundee’s players protested but DougieImriepaidt hem no heed, converting low to the keeper’s left.
Even then, it wasn’t over with Ali Crawford adding a fourth when drilling home a 20-yard shot from a neat lay-off by Danny Redmond.
His score made it Accies’ biggest win since August 15, 2015. Their opponents then? Who else? Dundee United.
“A good day at the office,” summarised a smiling Crawford.
“We deserved the win. We were unlucky in midweek, but we played the same way today and finally took some chances.
“Throughout the season when we’ve gone a goal up, we’ve not scored the second or the third to kill the game.
“We did today and that was pleasing.
“Dundee United are where they are.
“If they were strong enough they would still be in the Premiership.
“If we play the way we did today we will have no problems.”
Whether or not to remain a manager in the top flight, meanwhile, is the decision facing Dundee’s interim boss McCann.
“It is a short close season and I will give the club the respect they deserve within that,” he said.
“There have already been discussions talking about possible signings for next year.
“For now, I have to do my job at Sky.
“I have carried out what I have been asked to do for this one.
“And the whole job has been what I thought it would be because I’m a football man: to be able to go in and impact a team, and have a real positive impact in three games.
“After only three games we’ve managed to secure our status and it probably damaged us for the last two.”