Penalty king Ross is eyeing starting spot
BEING clinical from 12 yards won’t guarantee Ross Cunningham a place in the Hamilton Accies line-up every week, but it won’t do him any harm, either.
When Brian Rice’s side came from behind on Saturday to win their first Premiership game in five attempts, it was thanks to the 21-year-old’s ability to keep his cool from the spot.
This had been a frustrating contest between teams whose matching styles seemed set to cancel each other out.
Six minutes from time, however, the hosts were awarded the all-important breakthrough.
Cunningham, who had come off the bench in the 69th minute, confidently took the ball and thumped it down the middle beyond Livingston goalkeeper Ross Stewart.
The young forward has emerged as Accies’ top scorer this campaign with six goals, four of them coming from the spot.
If football was ever to go down the road of its gridiron cousin and introduce specialists brought on only for set-plays, then Cunningham would be the perfect man.
Of course, the former academy graduate wants to be more than just a dead-ball novelty act.
He’s a stylish player, too, as was demonstrated during his 20-minute cameo when he created a terrific scoring chance for defender Sam Stubbs.
However, Cunningham has drifted in and out of first-team contention as manager Rice continues to search for his perfect blend of personnel.
That has, naturally, been a source of frustration for the player, but he hopes this moment in the spotlight won’t prove to be a fleeting one.
‘You just need to keep working hard in training every day and, when I get the chance, I have to show the gaffer I am up to the job,’ said Cunningham.
‘I scored a few goals at the start of the season but I fell out of the team.
‘I just worked hard in training and the gaffer spoke to me and said that I will still be part of his plans.
‘So I kept working away and I got my reward on Saturday.’
It wasn’t just the fact that the match was hanging in the balance at 1-1 that put additional pressure on Cunningham’s young shoulders as he stepped up to take the penalty.
Team-mate Marios Ogkmpoe, who had been fouled by Livingston goalkeeper Stewart to earn the spot-kick, was also keen to take it.
But head coach Rice intervened and went with the man in form.
‘I’m quite a confident penalty taker so, when one comes along I always take it,’ added Cunningham.
‘Marios also wanted it but I will be taking the penalties until I miss one.
‘If I am on the park, I am the nominated penalty taker. It’s as simple as that. That’s on the sheet in the dressing room.
‘Fair play to Marios, the big man handed me the ball and said: “Go and take it.” And I was delighted when I scored.’
Not everyone in his family was quite as pleased, as Cunningham explained.
‘I was actually born in St John’s Hospital in Livingston and I come from Harthill, just ten miles down the road,’ he said.
‘My mum is originally from Livingston, so she won’t be too happy with the result!
‘But this was a massive three points for us. That was one of the toughest games we will play all season.
‘Livingston are a right tough opponent and they always make it difficult for you. But we fought until the end.’
If there was relief amid the Hamilton celebrations as they won their first league game since beating Kilmarnock on August 10, then it was a case of more recriminations for their visitors after a third-successive loss in the Premiership.
Alan Lithgow’s header after 15 minutes seemed to have given Livingston a platform to go on and break that sequence.
But Blair Alston bundled in an equaliser just on the stroke of half-time after a long throw-in by the excellent Alex Gogic, before young Cunningham held his nerve late on.
Defeat was perhaps harsh on a Livingston side who had looked the more likely to find a winning goal.
But questions are now being asked of the defensive unit of a team who were once one of the most watertight in Scotland.
The loss of goalkeeper Liam Kelly to QPR and centre-halves Declan Gallagher and Craig Halkett to Motherwell and Hearts respectively would weaken any side, but Lithgow insists their replacements will prove more than capable of filling the void.
‘It’s a different defence this season but that’s not really had any impact,’ claimed Lithgow. ‘The boys that have come in have been brilliant. They know how to defend. Ricki Lamie is still here and he was a part of that defence last season.
‘We’ve now got Nicky Devlin, who’s been a great asset to the team, and Jon Guthrie, who has come in, too. He’s been brilliant and a good player. So we all know how to defend.
‘In the last few games, we’ve not been defending the penalty box as well as we had been in the past. It’s up to us to rectify that and get back to being aggressive and not conceding goals.
‘I don’t know the explanation for it. I wouldn’t say we are getting soft. The boys in those positions are proper defenders and know the role. We just need to get back to defending better at set plays.
‘Hamilton had one opportunity to score and did and then they got a penalty. I don’t feel they created much else beyond that. But they’ve scored two goals and we’ve conceded two, so I know who will be happier.’ HAMILTON ACCIES (4-1-3-2): Fon Williams 6; McGowan 6, Stubbs 6, Easton 6, McMann 6; Gogic 7; Smith 6 (Cunningham 69), Hughes 5, Alston 7; Ogkmpoe 6 (Moyo 87), Davies 6 (Miller 62) Subs not used: Southwood, Fjortoft, Mackinnon, Martin. Booked: Stubbs. LIVINGSTON (4-2-3-1): Stewart 5; Devlin 6, Lithgow 7, Guthrie 6, Lamie 5; Bartley 6, Crawford 5; Stobbs 5 (Tiffoney 58), Lawless 6, Souda 6 (Sibbald 67); Robinson 5 (Lawson 81) Subs not used: Sarkic, Pepe, McMillan, Jacobs. Booked: Robinson. Man of the match: Gogic Referee: Steven McLean. Attendance: 1075