A first touch of magic wins it for the Accies
There are some things you must never do in football – one is to write off Hamilton Accies. Martin Canning’s side just keep coming up with unpredictable results. Beating Motherwell with an astonishing substitution is a new one in their history of defying the odds. The winning goal involved two substitutes both having their first touch at a free-kick. One hit the defensive wall, the other smashed it home with a wonderful volley. Canning admitted he brought Ross Cunningham on for his ability to hit the target but then watched Steven Boyd leather it past the goalie. He said: “It’s nice when your substitutions work. “Ross is fantastic with free-kicks so we sent him on to see if he could produce a bit of magic. “It would probably have been better for him if it had been six or seven yards back, but Steven ended up producing the magic and what a hit. It was a goal worthy of winning any game. “He has so much magic in him – it’s just a question of getting it out. “He beats himself up too much at times but I told the pair of them just to go on and enjoy themselves. “There was no pressure on them because we’d been doing nothing until they went on.” The 21-year-old Boyd acknowledged that it’s a big season for him. He’s had loan spells at Albion Rovers and Livingston, but wants to make his name with Accies. He said: “I’m going to try and cement my place in the team. “This will hopefully put in the front of the queue for a place. “To do that I need to be more consistent and create more chances. “The goal was a sweet one. I was thinking I was going to sky it, but I hit it nicely.” The first half of this derby is best glossed over. It was a real stinker – Bigirimana had a header on target, Sammon was booked for one of many barges and Accies’ Alex Penny provided a little light relief with a fresh-air kick in his own box. Motherwell dominated possession but simply firing the ball towards a twin strike-force of Main and Sammon was too predictable. Accies, meanwhile, were almost non-existent as an attacking force. They kept Bingham and Miller up front, but most of their time was spent closing down defenders or scrapping for the ball while facing away from goal. Miller made his most significant contribution by winning the free-kick that led to the goal, but was then replaced. He’d only just settled down on the bench as the ball was pinging into the back of the net. Motherwell had tried to shake things up before the visitors had their reshuffle. Frear and Johnson were introduced to add a bit of creativity and it did lead to a brief flurry of dangerous moves. They failed with a couple of chances and the shock goal from their Lanarkshire rivals seemed to rock the Steelmen back on their heels. They reverted to a rather laboured build-up that normally ended with a misplaced cross. Accies’s victory could have ended up looking a lot more convincing. Ross Cunningham missed two late opportunities, the second when he was right in front of goal. Maybe taking simple chances is just too predictable for the side from the Hope Stadium. The fans will hope for plenty more of these unexpected twists.