HAMILTON ACCIES 3
Tumilty (18), Smith (43), Rose (77) ALLOA ATHLETIC 2 Coulson (7), Sammon (57) Hamilton win 5-4 on agg
Hamilton Accies will have the opportunity to make a Championship return at the first time of asking after defeating Alloa in a pulsating play-off to earn a crack at Inverness.
A rollercoaster tie swung both ways over the course of an incredible 180 minutes between two sides desperate to force their way into the second-tier.
Heading into the decisive tie allsquare, it was Alloa who struck the first blowthroughQuinnCoulson.However, their advantage evaporated as Hamilton struck through goals from Reghan Tumilty and Lewis Smith.
Morgyn Neill was dismissed for dissent in the aftermath of the second goal, but Connor Sammon came off the bench to bring the Wasps level.
It was another substitute who got the last laugh as Ahkeem Rose steered home the winner with 13 minutes remaining.
Delighted Accies boss John Rankin said: “That’s the first time we’ve come from behind this season and got something from the game.
“I take my hat off to them – it wasn’t pretty at the end or when they went downto10.
“When they went down to 10, my worry was we would drop the tempo and not play the way we could – to be honest, that’s probably what happened.
“When we knew we couldn’t win the league and we were in the play-offs, we spoke about building momentum to make sure we were ready and in prime condition.
“We’ll be throwing bodies in front of the ball on Wednesday night – that commitment from the squad is what we needtogettowherewewanttogetto.”
The visitors broke the deadlock with seven minutes on the clock. Taylor Steven picked out Coulson, who unleashed a shot that crept over the line after thundering off the underside of the bar.
Accies came up with the perfect reply 10 minutes later, Jamie Barjonas’ floated corner landing perfectly for Tumilty to volley beyond PJ Morrison.
They completed the turnaround when Smith flicked home just before halftime. A disastrous end to the first half for the Wasps was compounded when Neill was shown two yellow cards for his remonstrations in the aftermath.
The topsy-turvy nature continued 10 minutes after the restart when Sammon sent the small band of travelling supporters wild by latching on to Bobby Wales’ through ball and drilling home.
It was another substitute who came up with the goods just as it appeared the game was destined for extra time. This time, Smith turned provider, putting the ball on a plate for Rose to find the net from close-range.