Bitter recriminations and a hint of farce characterised the aftermath of what was always going to be a tasty derby at New Douglas Park.

There was a sending off, a penalty missed, a number of controversial decisions and the peculiar sight of Hamilton’s elderly kitman, Danny Cunning, being sent to the stand on the say-so of the fourth official.

In the midst of it all, there were four goals, one of breathtaking quality from Motherwell midfielder, Jamie Murphy, and a dramatic finish where the 10 men of Hamilton looked to have seized the win, only for the visitors to grab a late equaliser.

It was a game that had everything, although both camps were clearly unhappy with the part played by referee Craig Thomson.

“There are mixed emotions,” admitted Hamilton manager Billy Reid afterwards. “To play so long with 10 men and produce the effort and endeavour, going ahead twice and getting pegged back when we did. But our keeper made some great saves, although I think the sending off had a big bearing on the game.”

His opposite number Jim Gannon meanwhile refused to speak post-match, the official line being that he was unhappy about the match, but rumour had it he was riled by recent reports that he was planning ‘a January clear-out’.

This was the meeting of two sides in good form, with Motherwell beaten once in 10 league games and fresh from of an impressive win over Hearts, while Hamilton are growing in confidence, enjoying a morale- boosting win over St Mirren last week. It was hardly what you’d call a typical build-up to a local derby, with the opposing managers praising the other’s work and the willingness of each to bring through young players. Even the pre-match atmosphere was slightly tepid, but with so many young players on the park, there was always the chance that passions would boil over.

As it turned out, it was the older heads who lost it and, at the end of a frantic first half, Hamilton were lucky not to finish with nine men.

There was a little hint of what was to follow when John Sutton twice clattered Tomas Cerny in the penalty box, but it was Guillaume Beuzelin’s late challenge on Jim O’Brien that signalled the start of the 15 mad minutes that preceded the interval. The Frenchman was booked apparently for appearing to show his studs as he slid in on the winger, then, just two minutes later, he saw a second yellow for a stupid trip after Mark Reynolds had got away from him.

After this, Thomson’s every decision was roundly booed by the home support, but the reality was that the referee did Hamilton a favour in this half by failing to book Richie Hastings for his chopping foul on Jim O’Brien inside the box. If he had, the defender would have been sent off after he again hauled down O’Brien, just a couple of minutes after Cerny saved Ross Forbes’ weak penalty.

The young midfielder had looked strangely sluggish and hesitant, but Motherwell had largely dominated in that department, with O’Brien in good form and Mark Reynolds also handling the threat of Simon Mensing expertly. But the one time he let his former team mate slip from his grasp, he levelled, latching on to Marco Paixao’s corner and heading home in the 61st minute.

This set up a frantic finish, with man of the match, Cerny, outstanding, producing at least five excellent stops as Hamilton’s 10 men scrapped for every ball. It took a brilliant strike from Murphy to eventually beat the Czech, an unstoppable 30-yarder that sailed into the top corner, but again Hamilton fought back, restoring their lead when Paixao headed home James Wesolowski’s cut-back.

Now 2-1 up, Hamilton looked on course for the win, but again this young Motherwell side showed their mettle. There have been a couple of late fightbacks already this season and, with just three minutes to go, the Premier League’s Young Player of the Month, Lukas Jutkiewicz added to his burgeoning reputation, rifling home Giles Coke’s cutback from seven yards out.

The draw was perhaps a fair result, although Gannon was clearly wunimpressed as he left for the bus early. Reid, meanwhile, chose his words carefully, still seething at some of the decisions. “I don’t think there is any point in commenting on the Beuzelin sending off. Let’s just say, we didn’t get too much today.”