Match Report

Match Report by Scott Gallacher, Communications Officer.

 

Stenhousemuir’s ten-match unbeaten run came to an end at Broadwood Stadium, as Hamilton Academical secured a 2-0 victory in the William Hill League One.

Oliver Shaw opened the scoring, before later providing the cross for Kevin O’Hara to seal the points for the hosts.

Gary Naysmith made seven changes to the starting XI from Tuesday’s game against East Kilbride, with Darren Jamieson, Ross Meechan, Archie Graham, Euan O’Reilly, Kinlay Bilham, Oliver Whyte and Scott McGill coming in for Yan Gromov, Oliver Simpson, Finn Robson, Finlay Gray, Zeke Cameron, Kelsey Ewen and Leyton Grant.

Matty Aitken showed great strength to hold off his marker before slipping the ball through to Ross Taylor, whose strike was only denied by an excellent stop from Jamie Smith. Scott Robinson was next to try his luck from close range, but his effort flew harmlessly over the Stenny bar.

In the 16th minute, Stenny were left frustrated after a strong penalty claim was waved away, when Matty Aitken was dragged down inside the Hamilton box, much to the disbelief of the Warriors bench.

Hamilton broke quickly on the counter, with Oliver Shaw meeting a cross with a close-range header, but Darren Jamieson was alert and produced a strong save to keep the Warriors on level terms

Oliver Whyte did well to gather the ball out wide on the left and drove forward with intent, his powerful strike only narrowly clearing the crossbar. In-form Euan O’Reilly showed his class by bringing the ball down superbly in the heart of the box and getting a clean strike away, forcing Jamie Smith into a save.

Alexander Hutton found space inside the box and looked set to fire Hamilton ahead, but under pressure he blazed his effort over, with Stenhousemuir’s defence doing just enough to put him off. Hamilton edged in front on 25 minutes. A long ball found Kyle MacDonald, who managed to draw Darren Jamieson out of his goal before Oliver Shaw applied the finish into an empty net.

Stenny were indebted to Darren Jamieson moments later, as the goalkeeper pulled off a superb diving save to deny Accies a second and keep the Warriors firmly in the contest.

The Warriors came within inches of an equaliser when Ross Taylor’s strike looked destined for the net, only to drift agonisingly over the bar.

Ross Taylor produced a tremendous darting run into the Hamilton box, dancing past defenders before teeing up Michael Anderson, whose two powerful efforts were blocked by the Accies keeper.

The final chance of the half fell to Matty Aitken, who worked space for a shot but saw his effort rise over the bar just as the whistle sounded for half-time.

Half-Time: Hamilton Academical 1-0 Stenhousemuir

Michael Anderson tried his luck from distance, his strike flashing just wide as Stenhousemuir continued to push forward.

Stenny came agonisingly close to levelling the match once again, with the effort drifting narrowly wide of the near post.

Ross Taylor’s strike was blocked but deflected behind for a corner, keeping the Warriors on the front foot and piling pressure on the Accies defence.

Despite this, Hamilton struck in the 80th minute. Oliver Shaw broke down the left and delivered a low ball across the box, where Kevin O’Hara was on hand to turn it home.

Stenny were left aggrieved once more as another strong penalty appeal was dismissed by referee Connor Ashwood as Hamilton battled for a clean sheet.

That proved to be the final major chance of the match, with Hamilton edging out a 2-0 win to bring an end to Stenhousemuir’s impressive 10-game unbeaten run.

Full-Time: Hamilton Academical 2-0 Stenhousemuir

Hamilton Academical: J. Smith, Hutton, Kilday (Hendrie 91’), O’Hara (Morgan 92’), C. Smith, Shaw (McKinstry 91’), McLuckie (Bradley 65’), MacDonald, Robinson (Newbury 88’), Loughrey, Gallacher

Unused Subs: Marks, Eadie, Syme

Stenhousemuir: Jamieson, Meechan, Buchanan, Graham, O’Reilly, Aitken (Carrick 69’), Taylor (Gray 85’), Bilham (Simpson 68’), Anderson, Whyte (Cameron 84’), McGill (Robson 78’)

Unused Subs: Godik, Ewen, Grant

Bookings: Kilday 64’, Taylor 65’, Buchanan 84’

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PREVIEW

It’s back to league action for Stenhousemuir this Saturday as they travel to Broadwood to take on Hamilton Academical in William Hill League One. Kick-off is at 3pm.

The Warriors come into the clash in excellent form, extending their unbeaten run to ten matches in all competitions with a 3-0 victory over East Kilbride in the KDM Evolution Trophy on Tuesday night.

Ross Taylor opened the scoring early on at Ochilview before second-half goals from Michael Anderson and substitute Ollie Whyte sealed the win, maintaining Stenhousemuir’s flawless record in the competition.

Attention now turns back to league matters, where Stenhousemuir will be aiming to continue their strong momentum and consolidate their position at the top end of the table.

Hamilton Academical also enjoyed cup success in the midweek, with a 3-1 win over St Mirren B.

Kevin O’Hara gave Accies an early lead before Oliver Shaw netted twice in as many minutes. Jack Lavery pulled one back for the Buddies, but it was John Rankin’s men who claimed all three points.

The two sides last met in a friendly back in July 2018 at Ochilview, with Hamilton running out 3-1 winners on that occasion.

Looking ahead to the fixture, assistant manager Brown Ferguson said: “It’s another challenge. They’re a good, full-time team with some really good players. We have to go into the game with confidence, but like every match in this league, it will be difficult.

In recent weeks there have been spells where the opposition have been on top, and we’ve had to manage that well. The biggest thing for me has been our willingness to get after teams, work back across the pitch, and maintain that application for the full 90 minutes. The players coming off the bench have also made a big impact.

The players at this moment in time are looking forward to every game that they play.”

 

Match Preview by Scott Gallacher, Communications Officer & Reporter.