THE WEEK ARE NOW STRONG
Rice hails his Accies for climbing off bottom
By his own admission, Brian Rice will have worse weeks.
The Hamilton Accies boss masterminded a second odds-defying victory in four days as his 10-men stunned Kilmarnock with a last-gasp penalty.
From sitting bottom of the pile on Wednesday, Mario sOg km poe’ s 89th-minute spot-kick dragged resilient Accies four points clear of basement boys Hearts and plunged St Mirren into the precarious play-off spot.
It was a victory that looked improbable, if not impossible, when sub Mickel Miller was sent packing with little over 10 minutes to play.
But as they did in midweek at Ibrox, Accies summoned that incredible knack of producing a massive result at exactly the right time.
Rice beamed: “Fantastic. Two clean sheets, at Ibrox and then here, that’s a sign of a team working hard.
“That victory was a team performance, the conditions were horrendous. But we were phenomenal again. They keep digging in, they keep going further and further.
“The spirit and determination not to lose was magnificent. All season we’ve been battered by all different things. This week we’ve carried a bit of luck but I think the lads deserve it with everything they put in.
“This week has just been absolutely brilliant for us.”
Ogkmpoe should, in truth, have opened the scoring much earlier as the initial exchanges promised an action- packed encounter that didn’t quite materialise.
Stuart Findlay required the intervention of his keeper as a straight ball skimmed the top of his head and landed at the feet of the Accies striker – but he could only hammer at Laurentiu Branescu from 12 yards.
And when illness caught up with centreback Jamie Hamilton, an early change unsettled the home side, with Kilmarnock sensing opportunity.
Nicke Kabamba, all long legs and galloping strides, powered past a dishevelled Accies backline and into the area. But he dragged his effort wide.
Hamilton’s search for fluency hit another hurdle when Blair Alston when down clutching his inner thigh, leaving Rice two subs down at the interval. Proceedings restarted as they’d finished – Killie pushing but with only fleeting menace.
Accies’ resilience was rewarded with two golden chances but again Ogkmpoe, finding shooting space, rifled straight at Branescu.
A lofted free-kick sought out the targetman again and when he beat the keeper to it, the ball trickled towards an open net.
Bodies swarmed in and although Shaun Want applied the final touch, he could only divert agonisingly over under pressure.
Miller, already cautioned for f looring Stephen O’Donnell, then kickstarted a dramatic final 10 minutes as he cut down Chris Burke near the corner f lag and collected a second yellow.
Yards away, Rice shook his head in disdain, the chance to pull clear of Hearts seemingly disappearing down the tunnel with Miller.
But the final twist was yet to arrive.
Ogkmpoe, frustrated for so long, went down under a challenge from Findlay and Willie Collum pointed to the spot.
The striker rose, kissed the ball, then just squeezed it past Branescu to secure a priceless three points.