WHO knew sitting outside on a freezing cold winter’s night in Hamilton could be such damn fun?
This highly entertaining game provided six goals, some of them easily fitting into the stunning category, a comeback, wonderfully awful defending and real drama right until the very end.
Hamilton had a two-goal lead with 12 minutes remaining and should have won. Hearts in fairness did well to fight back and were angered that a truly awful tackle from Ali Crawford on Jamie Walker did not result in a red.
Robbie Neilson, the Hearts manager, said: “I don't think the referee (Steven McLean) did his job. The ref has a responsibility to protect players and if he's not doing that then he's not doing his job.
"I spoke to the ref afterwards and he said it happened so quick he wasn't sure. We accept Walker will get treatment but there is a line and it was crossed.
"I would have expected to take three points having scored three goals. They scored one good goal but the other two were not great for us. Hamilton is a tough place to come. It is a totally different environment. But we can take some positives because we are scoring goals."
Hearts were sharp from the off and were ahead after only eight minutes.
Bjorn Johnsen sent in a cross from the left which Georgios Sarris could only header to the edge of the area where the ball bounced perfectly for Jamie Walker who put everything into a shot which gave Woods no chance.
It took a while for Hamilton to get going and then on 22 minutes they came within an inch or so of an equaliser. Confusion reigned in the Hearts defence and this allowed Gramoz Kurtaj the chance to nod the ball past goalkeeper Jack Hamilton.
This took him out right, he crossed back in for Rakish Bingham whose header was cleared off the line by John Soutar. No real damage was done as the home side pulled level minutes later.
Prince Bauban needlessly went into the back of Dougie Imrie which meant Accies had a free-kick at an angle and 20-plus yards from goal. Crawford weighed up his options and decided that curling the ball over the ball and into the near bottom corner was the best plan.
The brilliance of that goal made Crawford’s miss on the half hour mystifying. He was clean through and with time put his effort straight at the legs of Hamilton.
Hamilton keeper Woods produced a quite superb save on 36 minutes. Big Johnsen stooped low to get his head on a Bauben cross, only to be denied by a goalie glove that hadn’t been there a millisecond ago.
And speaking of short periods of time, Accies took the lead 13 after the break. The Hearts backline had the good grace to stand completely still as Crawford flicked a pass through the middle of them, Rakish Bingham got onto the ball and put it into the net.
Hearts struggled for a while but on the hour Alim Ozturk found himself with the ball at his feet, in acres of space and about two yards from goal. He put his shot dead centre of Woods’s torso.
And then it was three after 68 minutes. The willing Bingham chased after the ball down the left and with everyone screaming at him to cross to an unmarked Crawford, the striker instead lashed his shot into the opposite corner.
Game over? Actually, no because five minutes later Dan Seabourne clumsily fouled Don Cowie inside the box. A penalty was given and converted, just, by Walker.
Walker then hit the post with seven minutes remaining but the men from Edinburgh still had some fight in them.
Walker’s strong run down the right brought Hearts up the park, he passed to Perry Kitchen who slipped a brilliant ball through to Callum Paterson who produced a lovely finish.
Martin Canning, Hamilton’s dejected manager, said: “I seem to say the same thing every week. It’s so frustrating and feels like a defeat. It’s the hardest one to take because we had a two-goal lead. We should have had enough on the park to see that out.”
HAMILTON: Woods, Gillespie (Docherty 71), Devlin, Sarris, Seaborne, Donati, MacKinnon, Kurtaj, Crawford, Bingham (D'Acol 89), Imrie (Sowah 90)
Subs not used: Thomson Redmond, Longridge, Brophy
HEARTS: Hamilton, Paterson, Ozturk, Souttar, Smith, Kitchen, Buaben (Djoum 78, Cowie, Walker, Watt (Rherras 78), Johnsen (Sammon 78)
Subs not used: Noring, Nowak, Muirhead, Currie.
Referee: Steven McLean
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