Hamilton Academical

19-8-6
2nd in Scottish League One

Motherwell rampant in derby win as Nadir Ciftci fires double against Hamilton

A much-changed Motherwell side warmed up for the William Hill Scottish Cup final in style by sealing seventh place in the Ladbrokes Premiership with a 3-0 Lanarkshire derby victory.Nadir Ciftci scored twice and Tom Aldred was also on target as Motherwell dominated against a poor Hamilton side at Fir Park.On-loan Celtic striker Ciftci - who cannot face his parent club at Hampden - was inches away from a hat-trick as Motherwell fans lapped up the perfect send-off ahead of next Saturday's showpiece occasion.The hosts made nine changes with only Richard Tait, Aldred and potentially Liam Grimshaw likely to retain their places for the Hampden encounter.Manager Stephen Robinson was still able to field an experienced side with the three under-20s players who started, David Turnbull, Ross MacLean and Barry Maguire, all having featured in recent weeks.Motherwell made the better start and both Turnbull and Ciftci forced saves before the latter opened the scoring in the 31st minute. Accies goalkeeper Ryan Fulton did well to stop MacLean heading home Tait's cross but the striker was on hand to knock home the rebound.Aldred came close before the break when he ran on to Turnbull's corner but could not keep his effort down.Hamilton were not technically safe before the game, but it would have taken a 13-goal swing for Partick Thistle to leapfrog them and the visitors were lacklustre in the first half.Manager Martin Canning tried to liven them up by throwing on strikers Rakish Bingham and Marios Ogkmpoe in the 57th minute but the latter only lasted seven minutes before limping heavily off after appearing to twist his knee.Motherwell doubled their lead in the 70th minute when Ciftci netted after a piece of individual brilliance in the penalty box. The former Dundee United forward tormented Xavier Tomas with a drag-back and took out another defender before stabbing the ball home.Robinson handed Liam Brown a debut before his team went further ahead in the 73rd minute. Tait hooked Gael Bigirimana's free-kick across the face of goal and the unmarked Aldred finished high into the net.Ciftci came close to a hat-trick when he fired against the bar from almost 30 yards.

6Y
PA Sport

Hamilton effectively retain Premiership status despite St Johnstone defeat

Hamilton all-but retained their Ladbrokes Premiership status despite a 2-1 defeat by St Johnstone at the SuperSeal stadium.A dull first half came to life just before the break when George Williams and Scott Tanser hit the woodwork for the visitors, who took the lead in the 65th minute with a David McMillan penalty after Hamilton's stand-in keeper Ryan Fulton brought down Williams inside the box.David Wotherspoon fired in a second in the 80th minute but Accies skipper Dougie Imrie reduced the deficit with a header three minutes later.It was too little, too late to prevent defeat although Partick Thistle's 1-0 defeat by Motherwell means, with one game remaining, 10th-place Hamilton are three points better off than the Jags with a vastly superior goal difference.There was little to excite the fans in the opening minutes although there was consternation among the Accies players when midfielder Danny Redmond was booked by referee Kevin Clancy for simulation after going down under a Joe Shaughnessy tackle which looked to be a foul on the edge of the box.In the 32nd minute Hamilton attacker David Templeton, back from a groin strain, drew a free-kick from St Johnstone midfielder Murray Davidson 25 yards from goal and his curling shot to the near post was brilliantly parried wide by Saints keeper Zander Clark.Templeton fired the resulting corner out to the other side of the pitch, an error of judgement much more in keeping with the general play.Then Redmond raced clear of the Perth defence and onto a Templeton pass and, under pressure from the back-tracking Liam Gordon, he sent his left-footed shot past Clark's left-hand post.However, it was the Perth side who missed the best chance of the half in the 42nd minute when Williams latched on to Wotherspoon's deep cross from the left only to cushion his shot from four yards onto the post.Accies, relieved at the let-off, ran up the other end and Redmond scooped a shot from 14 yards over the bar.However, St Johnstone came even closer when left-back Tanser rattled keeper Fulton's upright with a powerful drive from the edge of the box.Within three minutes of the restart Clark had to fly to his right to save a close-range header from midfielder Darian MacKinnon but the corner was easily defended.The game became scrappier before Fulton raced from his goal to upend Williams and see Clancy point to the spot, with former Dundalk striker McMillan converting the spot-kick to set Accies nerves jangling.The Lanarkshire side pushed hard for the leveller but with 10 minutes remaining, Wotherspoon sent a drive past Fulton from substitute Stefan Scougall's cut-back but Accies soon responded, with Imrie stooping to head in a cross from substitute Mickel Miller.Hamilton failed to draw themselves level - indeed it looked more likely that Saints would score again - but results elsewhere mean Accies are safe for another season.

6Y
PA Sport

Dundee all but secure Premiership status with win over Hamilton

Dundee all but secured their Ladbrokes Premiership status following a 1-0 win over fellow relegation battlers Hamilton at Dens Park.The home side had the best of the first half and deserved the lead given to them by left-back Kevin Holt's 18th minute drive.Accies improved after the break but dramatically spurned the chance to level in the 86th minute when skipper Dougie Imrie saw his penalty saved by Dundee keeper Elliott Parish.With two post-split fixtures remaining Dundee are six points ahead of relegation play-off spot occupants Partick Thistle and with a superior goal difference, with bottom side Ross County a further two points adrift.Bottom side County and Thistle had fought out a 1-1 draw in Glasgow on Friday night, leaving a big incentive for both sides in this lunchtime kick-off on Tayside.Amid a scrappy opening to the game there was a long stoppage after Dundee's Mark O'Hara and Accies' Danny Redmond clashed heads, the former needing lengthy treatment before continuing.Holt's goal came courtesy of enterprising wide man Craig Wighton who, after taking a Glen Kamara pass on the left, got past Hamilton defender Shaun Want before cutting the ball back to the Dens Park defender.He drilled a left-footed shot past Hamilton keeper Gary Woods and into the far corner of the net for his second goal of the season.The Lanarkshire side, seemingly realising their predicament, forced a couple of corners in quick response but Dundee defended resolutely and finished the half strongly, with striker Simon Murray and defender Steven Caulker going close with headers.Hamilton replaced keeper Woods with Ryan Fulton for the start of the second half with Dundee's Lewis Spence on for O'Hara.In the 49th minute striker Rakish Bingham struck the outside of the post with a 25-yard free-kick, Darian MacKinnon went close with a drive from the edge of the box and then Parish blocked an angled drive from Bingham at his near post.In the 68th minute Accies substitute Antonio Rojano, on for Redmond, stooped to head a delivery from Kenny van der Weg inches past the post, a near miss that increased anxiety levels among the home fans, who saw Daniel Jefferies come on to make his debut for Deacon.Jefferies, however, conceded a penalty with four minutes remaining for barging striker Marios Ogkmpoe inside the box.But there were Dundee cheers of relief all round when Parish threw himself down to his right to block Imrie's spot kick which all but secured Dundee's status into the bargain.

6Y
PA Sport

Hamilton Academical

SOCCER

Hamilton pull away from relegation danger with win over Ross County

Hamilton gave themselves breathing space in the fight against relegation with a crucial 2-0 win over Ross County at the SuperSeal Stadium.Just three points separated the teams in the bottom three before the match, but it was Accies who pulled away from trouble to leave Ross County adrift of safety at the bottom.Following a nervy opening period, Dougie Imrie netted the opener from the penalty spot after Bobby Madden penalised Marcus Fraser for a pull in the box before David Templeton doubled the lead shortly afterwards.There were real concerns before kick-off that Hamilton were being dragged back into the fight at the bottom after a run of six successive defeats, but they displayed their familiar knack for picking up results when they most need them - despite not being at their best.It was a fiery start to the game, with tackles flying in from both sides in the early stages.Darian MacKinnon was perhaps fortunate to only see yellow after just 20 seconds when a high foot made contact with Jamie Lindsay, who needed prolonged treatment before rejoining the action.The delay, so soon after kick-off, made it a subdued start on and off the pitch and there was little quality in terms of play to get the fans off their seats.Templeton, the best player on the pitch throughout, continued to find space on the left and cut inside before curling narrowly wide of the far post shortly after Alex Schalk had hit one straight at Gary Woods at the other end.Lindsay had the best chance of a dire first period when he headed Alex Schalk's deflected shot towards the bottom corner, but Woods got down well to send the teams in level.The opening goal came out of the blue as Madden pointed to the spot following a Templeton corner, with replays showing Fraser had hold of Lewis Ferguson's shirt.Imrie kept his cool to slot in the penalty, and from there, Hamilton saw the game out comfortably.The introduction of Danny Redmond off the bench brought more fluency to Accies' attacking game, and it was he who unlocked the County defence to give the hosts a valuable second.The visitors thought they had cleared the ball but Redmond's first-time ball split the defence and found Templeton onside, and he showed his class to smash the ball into the back of the net for his fifth goal in eight games.From there the Staggies had no choice but to go all out, but they created little of note to worry the home defence, who held on to go five points clear of the bottom two with just three games to play.

6Y
PA Sport

Hamilton Academical

SOCCER

Partick hit back to maintain survival hopes

Two goals in eight second-half minutes breathed fresh life into Partick Thistle's relegation fight in a 2-1 win over Hamilton.The Jags, bottom of the table going into the game, looked to be heading eight points adrift of safety after David Templeton's first-half strike.With his side in desperate need of inspiration, captain Kris Doolan picked the perfect time to score his 100th league goal for the club after the hour, before Ryan Edwards smashed in eight minutes later to complete the turnaround.It was the first game at the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill since the death of former manager and fan favourite John Lambie, and there was understandably a highly-charged atmosphere before kick-off, with the home fans in good voice.Tributes were paid to the former manager - who also had a spell with Accies - and the energy from the stands appeared to rub off on the players, despite their poor run of late that saw them go into the game without a win in 10.Erskine and Andrew McCarthy were immediately into their work as the Jags started on the front foot, but Doolan's early effort was easily claimed by Gary Woods.That pattern of play continued for much of the opening 20 minutes but it was the visitors who had the first clear opening as Marios Ogkmpoe raced clear before he appeared to be brought down by Tomas Cerny - but referee John Beaton remained unmoved as Baily Cargill cleared.The game went quiet as the break approached, but it took a moment of individual magic from Templeton to break the deadlock.The midfielder picked the ball up in the inside left position after Christie Elliott missed an interception before driving at the defence and curling a low effort into the far corner for his ninth of the season, minutes before the whistle went.The second half continued in the same manner, with Thistle dominating possession but toothless in attack as Accies threatened on the counter.The hosts were rewarded after the hour mark when, after a corner was not cleared, Callum Booth had time to pick out Doolan in the area and the striker's header was perfectly placed to pull the Jags level.From there there was only one way the game was going as the fans roared their players on.The Accies defence became ragged and after Conor Sammon whipped a deflected effort narrowly wide, they failed to clear a corner and Edwards lashed in from 10 yards to spark wild celebrations.Despite nerves on the pitch and in the stands, Thistle did enough to see the game out and climb above Ross County to 11th in the Premiership table.

6Y
PA Sport

Kris Boyd the goal hero again as Kilmarnock win at Hamilton

Kris Boyd's 21st goal of the season gave Kilmarnock's European hopes a boost in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Hamilton at the Superseal Stadium.After a goalless first half, Kirk Broadfoot headed the visitors in front before Hamilton substitute David Templeton levelled up.But veteran striker Boyd had the final say when he finished off a flowing move to stretch Kilmarnock's unbeaten run to 11 games and move them to four points behind fourth-placed Hibernian heading into the post-split games.Hamilton remain ninth, five points clear of bottom-placed Partick Thistle and facing another battle to avoid the drop.It was a bruising encounter in the early stages. The visitors had the first sight of goal but Boyd dragged a shot wide.Kilmarnock were forced into an early change when Alan Power replaced Rory McKenzie who had picked up a knock.Steve Clarke's men started to take control with Youssouf Mulumbu at the centre of things. Boyd appealed for referee Barry Cook to show Xavier Tomas a second yellow after the striker tripped over the Accies defender - who had slipped himself - en route to goal but the official rejected the suggestion.Accies nearly scored with their first effort of the game after 41 minutes when Darian MacKinnon thundered a shot off the bar from 20 yards.That galvanised the hosts as they searched for an opener and Rakish Bingham and Lewis Ferguson brought out good saves from Leo Fasan - who was making his league start in place of the injured Jamie MacDonald.Jordan Jones was fairly quiet in the first half but looked to have the spark that could ignite Kilmarnock in the second and he did just that. After a couple of efforts on goal he won a free-kick in a dangerous position.Gary Dicker swung in the ball and Broadfoot powered a header beyond Woods from six yards.Hamilton boss Martin Canning sensed the tide was turning and made a double substitution with Georgios Sarris being replaced by Antonio Rojano and Templeton replacing Ali Crawford.It proved to be a masterstroke as Templeton notched his eighth goal of the season from a free-kick after 73 minutes, when his effort went in via the post.Kilmarnock's response was swift as they restored their lead when Boyd finished off Aaron Simpson's cross after 79 minutes following good build-up play.

6Y
PA Sport

Leigh Griffiths strike moves Celtic to brink of title

Substitute Leigh Griffiths' second-half header gave Celtic a 2-1 win at Hamilton and moved them to within a victory of their seventh successive title.

6Y
PA Sport

Leigh Griffiths strike moves Celtic to brink of title

Florian Kamberi hat-trick sinks Hamilton

Florian Kamberi hit a hat-trick as Hibernian fired themselves firmly into the fight for second spot in the Ladbrokes Premiership with a 3-1 win over Hamilton at Easter Road.Marios Ogkmpoe was gifted an early opener by Leith keeper Ofir Marciano but Swiss frontman Kamberi quickly made amends for his team-mate with the equaliser.Accies were reduced to 10 men with half an hour left when skipper Dougie Imrie was dismissed following two fouls on Martin Boyle.And Hibs made the most of their man advantage as Kamberi struck twice more to take his tally to six goals in just eight games since sealing his January loan switch from Grasshopper Club Zurich.Neil Lennon's Edinburgh outfit remain four points behind Aberdeen but are now breathing down third-place Rangers' necks after trimming their lead to just one.Marciano was back in for the first time since his costly red card against St Johnstone but his attempts to get back in Lennon's good books fell flat inside nine minutes.There appeared little threat as Antonio Rojano sent his cross straight to the Israeli stopper but Marciano blundered badly as he spilled straight to Accies frontman Ogkmpoe, who could barely believe his luck as he tucked home from five yards.But Hibs did not let that setback derail them.They should have levelled within three minutes when the visitors were caught stock-still as Scott Allan whipped in a free-kick from wide on the right, but Kamberi could only smash his volley off the woodwork.The goal-frame was shaking again moments later as Gary Woods inexplicably pushed a Lewis Stevenson cross against his crossbar.But there was no stopping Kamberi's next effort as he rifled home the equaliser on 17 minutes. The big striker did well to exchange passes with Dylan McGeouch as Accies pressed in and kept his composure while switching the ball onto his right foot and lashing an 18-yard finish into the bottom corner.Having been booked 11 minutes in for a trip on Boyle, Imrie got his marching orders just after the hour mark as he collided again with the Hibs wideman.And it took just 60 seconds for the hosts to make the most of their numerical advantage as Kamberi got his head to Boyle's free-kick, nodding in off the post on 63 minutes.Kamberi claimed the match ball with six minutes left as he raced onto a Paul Hanlon throughball before slotting under Woods to heap fresh worry on Hamilton, who now hold just a five-point cushion over both relegation spots.

6Y
PA Sport

Kilmarnock 2-0 Hamilton Academical

Two first-half strikes from Lee Erwin and Stephen O'Donnell were enough for Kilmarnock as they kept up their remarkable home record with a comfortable 2-0 Ladbrokes Premiership victory over Hamiton.The win, Killie's eighth in the last nine league games at Rugby Park, keeps them in pole position to finish fifth while defeat for the visitors means they are still looking anxiously over their shoulder at the relegation scrap.It was not a sensational performance from Steve Clarke's side - but the near 5,000-strong home support still left well satisfied with what they had watched.The game was a turgid affair for long spells with the in-form hosts only showing their full capabilities in glimpses. Boss Steve Clarke had rung the changes with top-six football already guaranteed post-split and some tougher looking matches on the horizon. Consistent performers Youssouf Mulumbu and Jordan Jones were rested and the Ayrshire side did perhaps miss their energy and drive at times.Only five minutes had elapsed by the time Erwin had the hosts in front. O'Donnell floated in a cross to the back post and the former Motherwell man used all of his strength and finesse to first touch the ball past the defender and then smash it into the net.Rory McKenzie then sent a swerving volley just over the bar minutes later. The emphatic right-footed strike would have been a contender for goal of the season had it found a way past goalkeeper Gary Woods.Former Accies favourite Eamonn Brophy then fizzed a shot over as the onslaught continued and then right on the stroke of half-time, Killie doubled their advantage.The industrious O'Donnell will probably score better goals in his career, but he's unlikely to score many more bizarre ones. His prodded effort from 30 yards out would barely have registered as a shot on most occasions. But the ball bobbled and trickled, and aided by a deflection, found its way past the despairing Woods in the 49th minute of the first half.The Lanarkshire outfit did create a string of chances late on but Killie could have been out of sight by that stage with Alan Power going close from long range and Kris Boyd denied a goal by a stunning save from Woods. The Accies keeper clawed away the top scorer's hooked effort from close range - but that was a rare highlight for the visitors as they fell to a sixth defeat in nine games.

6Y
PA Sport

McMann's early own goal proves decisive as Saints sink Hamilton

An own goal from Scott McMann was enough for St Johnstone to claim a scrappy 1-0 win at home to Hamilton.Saints kept alive their slim hopes of sneaking into the top six and climbed above Motherwell in the Ladbrokes Premiership after doing just about enough to see off a disappointing Accies.McMann inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net after just five minutes to give the hosts a lead they never looked like giving up, eventually going on to claim a second win in three matches.Buoyed by their recent form - a win over Dundee and a point against Hibernian - Saints were quick off the blocks in the opening minutes.The on-loan George Williams was a lively presence in attack for the hosts after being given a free role by Tommy Wright and it was the attacking midfielder who won the corner down the left that led to the opener.Blair Alston's whipped delivery was flicked on by Liam Craig and the ball appeared to deflect in off McMann under pressure from Steven MacLean to give Saints an early lead.Chris Kane almost doubled the lead five minutes later as another Saints corner caused chaos in the Accies defence, the ball eventually dropping to the in-form striker whose poke was cleared off the line by Rakish Bingham.There was little to separate the two sides after that, with the visitors unable to make any significant impression in the final third in what was a poor first-half performance in which they were lucky not to be further behind.Two changes at the break from Martin Canning saw the visitors come out with much more intent, but there was little encouragement for the visitors until the final quarter of the match.With 20 minutes to go, Alan Mannus was finally called into action and he was unconvincing as he came to punch a Dougie Imrie corner and could only find Darian McKinnon on the edge of the box, and the midfielder's well-struck half-volley was saved on the line by a grateful Mannus.David Templeton, who was unusually quiet, then whipped a free-kick straight at the keeper before seeing a low drive from outside the area deflected wide.Imrie's near-post header almost caught Mannus out in a manic six-minute spell, before Saints broke down the other end and Kane saw a fierce effort well-saved by Gary Woods.Hamilton's threat fizzled out in the final 10 minutes, with Saints happy to hang on and pick up another three points, moving them above Motherwell into seventh in the table.

6Y
PA Sport

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Team	GP	W	D	L	GD	P
Falkirk	33	27	6	0	+68	87
Hamilton Academical	33	19	8	6	+40	65
Alloa Athletic	33	15	7	11	+5	52
Montrose	33	13	8	12	-1	47
Cove Rangers	33	13	7	13	-4	46
Kelty Hearts	33	12	7	14	-10	43
Queen of the South	33	10	7	16	-8	37
Annan Athletic	33	8	10	15	-14	34
Stirling Albion	33	9	7	17	-21	34
Edinburgh City	33	3	5	25	-55	8

Kevin O'HaraF #9

Euan HendersonF #7

Ahkeem RoseF #10

Goal Difference

40

2nd

Goals Scored

66

2nd

Assists

45

2nd

Goals Conceded

26

2nd

ESPN

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