A late, late, late Louis Moult header earned a heroic ten man Motherwell a point at Hamilton on Hogmanay. It was a fitting reward for the Steelmen as they refused to lose the derby.
The pivotal moment came in 27 minutes when referee Anderson judged that the challenge by Lucas on Donati deserved a straight red card. The temperature of the game rose after that and the home side gained the control that had been with Motherwell in the opening third. We fell behind early in the second half but dogged persistence paid off when Moult’s last gasp header found the net.
We were forced into two changes with injuries to Hammell and Cadden giving an opportunity for McMillan and Campbell, the latter handed his first league start.
Our command of the first half hour started with a fine cross from Moult that found McDonald on the six yard line. Woods did well to keep the header out of the net and over the line for a corner.
A mighty clash between Sowah and Moult led to five additional minutes in the first half as both needed treatment. The Accies had to clear on the goal-line when Moult headed a Lucas free kick on target. Moents later Lucas got his marching orders as the two-footed challenge earned red.
The incident was the signal for the home team to step up and take charge . McDonald dropped into midfield and Moult was left as the lone striker.
We held on without loss until the 54th minute when Crawford cut the ball back to present D’Acol with a simple finish from close range.
Hamilton started the predictable slow motion routine immediately and our occasional appearances in front of the two thousand travelling fans behind Woods’ goal were met with hopeful encouragement. But as the rain swept over the pitch it seemed that time was running out. Moult came close with a couple of attempts and on 85 minutes Ainsworth replaced McMillan as we threw caution to the wind.
In the last of the three additional minutes the pressure on the home goal produced a result. McHugh chipped a across from the left and this time Moult’s header nestled in the back of the net. Cue wild celebrations as the whole team, Samson included, joined the party behind the net. The final whistle blew as the game restarted.
We’ve taken four points from two away fixtures and look forward to the January break in good heart.
A Happy New Year to all ‘Well fans!
Hamilton 1 Motherwell 1
Attendance 3,526 (2,013)
Team: Samson, Tait, Heneghan, McManus, McHugh, Lucas, Clay, Campbell, McMillan (Ainsworth 85), McDonald