Cummins & Co give Accies the blues
APROMOTIONAL video was produced ahead of St Johnstone’s win over Hamilton Academical. The footage, which went viral after it was released online, showed players such as Chris Millar and Blair Alston cavorting around McDiarmid Park while mouthing the words to Eiffel 65’s hit from the late ‘90s Blue.
The Perth side would dispense with silent mimicry yesterday, guttural cries emanating from the pitch in response to goals in the second half from Graham Cummins and Murray Davidson. Their supporters might also have given voice to a sense of relief, too, since the scoreline served to disguise an encounter which was seldom comfortable.
Their pre-match video also concluded with Millar – an unused substitute against Hamilton – having blue paint smeared on his cheeks. A few of his team-mates looked a little red-faced with embarrassment at half-time yesterday as St Johnstone struggled to impose themselves, their early deficiencies manifest in a series of errant passes and a shot which Davidson sclaffed across goal.
But they were able to find their footing after the break – Cummins scoring first from a corner, before quickly adding another goal when he steered a shot into the net from an Alston cross. Davidson converted another chance, glancing a header past Hamilton goalkeeper Gary Woods.
“We didn’t always move the ball quickly enough but it was a pleasing day in the end,” said manager Tommy Wright.
Hamilton have rarely had a pleading afternoon of late, having not won in the league since October 25, with the Lanarkshire side ahead of bottom-ofthe-table Inverness by a single goal.
A victory in the Scottish Cup last weekend had appeared timely, with Hamilton emerging brightly into a grey and snow-flecked afternoon in Perth. It took just five minutes to trouble their hosts, Darian MacKinnon thumping a volley towards goal which Zander Clark had to push past a post. Grant Gillespie hooked another shot wide from the resulting corner.
The full-back would raise a hand to acknowledge the cross from Ali Crawford. Such recognition has become routine, the Hamilton midfielder gilding his performances regularly and in Perth he showed cleverness in midfield and menace when on the attack.
Despite his slight frame, Crawford is a figure of robust influence for Hamilton. Any hopes his side have of escaping relegation this season would seem to rest on his slender shoulders.
And when Crawford scooped the ball over the crossbar early in the second half, that miss weighed heavily on his side. “That was a key moment,” said Hamilton manager Martin Canning. “Within three or four minutes of that chance we fall behind. We’ve got to be more ruthless.”