The home fires burn at last for contented Canning
THIS was Hamilton’s first home win since September 19 and it may prove to be the spark which helps them to remain a Premiership club next season.
It maintained their four-point advantage over second-bottom Kilmarnock as they go into the split and, in spite of a spirited second-half fightback from Dundee, Accies were worthy winners.
The victory also gives them some much-needed momentum; they came into this game with only one win from their last seven outings but they displayed fortitude to prevail here.
‘This should be a hard place to come to and it was for a long time,’ said manager Martin Canning. ‘We got away from that but we need to get back to that again, especially at this stage of the season.
‘It will take performances like this. In the first half we were excellent and controlled the game then, after the break, we had to dig in a little bit.
‘If the second half had been the same as the first I’d have expected us to go on and score a few more goals, but football isn’t like that.
‘But we took three points at home at last, and that’s the most pleasing thing for me.’
With both sides needing points for very different reasons, the game was open from the first whistle, but it was the hosts who made most of the early running.
Consequently, Dundee were indebted to goalkeeper Scott Bain, who made an instinctive save in the eighth minute, stretching to the limit to turn over a piledriver from Greg Docherty.
Five minutes later, Bain proved why he has been called into Gordon Strachan’s Scotland squad when he got his fingertips to a net-bound shot from Eamonn Brophy.
It took the visitors until midway through the first half to threaten. Greg Stewart was the architect, setting up top scorer Kane Hemmings for a shot which Michael McGovern scrambled to safety.
However, it was Accies who deservedly made the breakthrough on the half-hour mark. Dundee’s defence failed to deal with a meat-and-potatoes cross from the left, Docherty helped the ball on and Ali Crawford thumped it low behind Bain from 12 yards.
The visitors had started the day in the top six but they fell further behind four minutes from the interval and, once again, they had no one to blame but themselves.
Brophy was going nowhere on the byeline but Julen Extaberguren inexplicably elected to take him out, leaving referee John Beaton with no option but to award a penalty kick.
Extaberguren, who had been cautioned earlier for a foul on Crawford, was fortunate not to be shown a second yellow card, but that was where his luck ended; Jesus Garcia Tena converted the spot-kick with aplomb.
Indeed, it would have been 3-0 before the break, had it not been for a spectacular save from Bain which kept out a Crawford header from point-blank range.
At that stage, Hamilton did not remotely resemble a side who had gone almost seven months without winning in front of their own fans, although the nerves of the latter would be tested as the game progressed.
Dundee’s Gary Harkins was introduced for the ineffective Craig Wighton at the break and Nicky Low replaced the hapless Extaberguren shortly afterwards, but the changes took time to impact on proceedings.
However, the extravagantly gifted Harkins gave his side a lifeline with 27 minutes remaining. The midfielder played a one-two with Hemmings and delicately dinked the return pass over the advancing McGovern.
Thomas Konrad ought to have equalised in the 70th minute but, after being left unmarked at a Stewart free-kick, he headed weakly at the goalkeeper from eight yards out.
Given their abysmal home record, Accies’ anxiety was understandable, and the way they sat back and allowed Dundee to come at them was inviting trouble.
No longer spraying the ball around, Hamilton were content to hoof the ball aimlessly up the park and regroup behind their advancing opponents.
It was a dangerous tactic — especially with Kilmarnock winning comfortably — but it paid off and the final whistle was greeted with relief.
‘It’s a massive blow for us,’ admitted Dundee boss Paul Hartley. ‘We had aspirations to be in the top six and we had it in our own hands, but we didn’t perform today.
‘In the first half we couldn’t cope with their physicality and we just didn’t turn up. It’s a major disappointment. The dressing room is quiet.
‘We set our sights high this season. We wanted to be in the top half and felt we could get in there, but it’s probably not just down to this game — we’ve had 14 draws this season and too many of them have come from us being in good positions where we should have won.
‘I wouldn’t say (missing out) should set us back in what we’re trying to achieve longer term.
‘But we want to be up there among the best teams and the players have been great for the majority of the season. However, we let ourselves down today.’