Close but no cigars for both sides in basement battle
DUNFERMLINE 0 HAMILTON ACCIES 0
Hamilton Accies boss, Stuart Taylor, was the happier of the two managers following this stalemate in the basement battle.
“I think if you were to say we edged it, we probably did in terms of possession and we did in terms of shots and shots on target,” he said.
“I asked the players during the week to put in the hard work as we have done since we came in, and to be ruthless on both sides.
“We were in our box and we had some good play going into the final third but the hardest thing in football is to score goals. But we will keep working at it.
“We will be back on the training ground tomorrow and we will keep working at it throughout the week and hopefully we can start scoring some goals.
“I am not concerned about that, though.
“We have good quality players. It is maybe a wee confidence thing for them but there is nothing from me in terms of doubt.
“It is all positive and I’m really pleased with certain aspects of our performance today.”
As was to be expected from two teams starting the game at the wrong end of the Championship, it was a cagey first half with the ball spending as much time in the air as on the deck.
The only real bit of quality came seven minutes in when Pars strike pairing Nikolay Todorov and Craig Wighton almost produced a goal of the season contender.
The pair shared passes that sent Todorov scampering down the right-hand side.
His cross was met on the full volley by Wighton from 12 yards out, the effort agonisingly coming off the post with Ryan Fulton in the Hamilton goal beating all ends up.
This would be the Pars’ only chance of note in the half.
However, the visitors were no freer-flowing – their sole opportunity in the first 45 minutes coming from a long-range effort from Josh Mulin that Pars keeper Owain Fon Williams did well to tip over.
The second period started in much the same fashion, it taking until the hour before anything of note occurred.
This time it was the Accies’ turn to hit the woodwork with Lewis Smith cutting in from the right and curling an effort that came off the post’s outside.
The lack of cutting edge shown by the home men was evidenced by the fact both Wighton and Todorov were off the pitch by the 63rd minute.
The changes had no immediate effect as the visitors looked the sharper with Mulin almost catching out Fon Williams with a free-kick.
This would be as close as either team got as – despite the frantic nature of play – no quality was on show, leaving Pars boss Peter Grant to say: “The clean sheet is great.
“We seem to have cut out the individual errors but I am still expecting a lot more quality from us.
“It is hard. I’ve been there but we have had some opportunities in the first half and people make the wrong
choice.”