HAMILTON 2 - 0 ABERDEENMark Walker at New Douglas Park
A VIRUS swept through Pittodrie last week forcing Aberdeen to put several of their players into quarantine before their trip to New Douglas Park. On yesterday's evidence, it was difficult to tell if they had been released or whether imposters in red jerseys had turned up.
Hamilton got their second win over Aberdeen this season and thoroughly deserved it. Second-half goals from Simon Mensing and Richard Offiong, who was later sent off for two bookings, saw Accies move up out of the league basement.
Hamilton were everything Aberdeen weren't - committed, energetic, hard-working and determined. The Pittodrie men, even allowing for a dose of the sniffles, were lethargic, timid, lazy and uninterested. They severely let down a large away following, again.
The match almost didn't go ahead after a pipe blockage in Hamilton's undersoil heating in the morning caused a strip of the pitch on a flank to freeze. The solution was to reduce both wings by two yards so the affected area wasn't in play. Accies had to seek permission from the SPL before they were allowed to do this and the game proceeded.
Certainly manager Jimmy Calderwood, to his credit, didn't use the excuse of a narrowed pitch or any form of bugs as an explanation for a horrid display. He said: "We started poorly and got worse and it's difficult to win a match like that. I don't think the virus had anything to do with the defending.
"In hindsight, moving the pitch in didn't help us, but it's no excuse. I could have said no to the game going ahead but I didn't fancy telling 3000 Aberdeen fans that."
Aberdeen started with the confidence you might expect from a team with their excellent recent run of form and Jeffrey de Visscher should have done better than wildly volley over from close range when he got on the end of a clipped Sone Aluko delivery.
However, it was a deceptive beginning as Accies soon recovered and were the better side for large periods of the first half with David Graham coming close midway through the half when he met Zander Diamond's weak headed clearance and his drive whizzed inches past the post.
But the narrowness of the pitch, coupled with Accies favouring a six-man midfield meant there was precious little space for movement or skill from flair players such as Aberdeen's Aluko, who cut an anonymous and despondent figure in the first half.
Hamilton took the lead in controversial circumstances six minutes after the break. Diamond stumbled as he was trying to catch James McCarthy, who was on his way into the box. He bustled over the Accies player and ref-eree Stephen Finnie, initially awarded a free-kick outside the box before his assistant, Billy Baxter, pointed out to him the offence was inside the area. Mensing converted the resulting spot-kick.
Aberdeen poured forward in a bid to rescue a point and they must have thought they had it when de Visscher chipped in the perfect cross for Darren Mackie, who will be only man in Lanarkshire who knows how he managed to head wide from a few yards out with the goal gaping. Not quite a Chris Iwelumo moment but not far off.
Hamilton wrapped it up 12 minutes from time when Offiong cut inside from the wing, raced into the box and shot low past Jamie Langfield from an acute angle.
Offiong then blotted his copybook by kicking the ball away in injury time to receive a second yellow card.
Accies manager Billy Reid said: "The penalty changed the game and I thought we did well after that.
"Richard's second goal was brilliant and for a time I thought he was unplayable, but that's what he's got in his locker."
Hamilton Accies substitutes: Gibson for Elebert 74, Swailes for McLaughlin 87, Lyle for Graham 84. Not used:Murdoch, Gow, Akins, Thomas. Booked: Mensing, Offiong. Sent off: Offiong.
Aberdeen subs: Maguire for Kerr 81. Not used: Bateman, Crawford, Pawlett, Hodgkiss, Paton, Smith. Booked: Foster, Kerr.
Referee: S Finnie.
Attendance: 4334
