Dunfermline Athletic 1 Hamilton Academical 1
Author: Stephen Taylor Date: Tuesday, 11th Mar 2008The Pars at last take a point off league leaders Hamilton Accies and in truth should have won the game after making Accies look a very ordinary First Division side.
The Pars lined up with Gallacher in goals. A back four of Woods, Wilson, Thomson and Scott Morrison. The midfield quartet was Phinn on the right,Glass and Simmons in the centre and Burke on the left. Stevie Crawford continued to partner Mark Burchill in attack.
In freezing cold wet conditions it took until 7 minutes before the Pars had an effort at goals as Burchill hit a shot that was blocked and Burke latched onto the rebound but hit his effort well wide. The Pars had started the game well as they pressed the opposition. The opening goal came along in 10 minutes after Stephen Simmons was bundled by the Accies keeper as the league leaders were struggling to clear. Stephen Glass stepped up to open the scoring with a powerful shot high into the net. What referee Calum Murray needs to explain is, why there was no card, at the very least yellow. The referee would go on to book a number of Pars players for little or nothing. Quite bizarre.
Glass picked up a yellow for a simple foul in 15 minutes.
A stand out feature of the first half was the link play of Calum Woods and Nicky Phinn. The two created a good chance in 20 minutes as Phinn won a corner from his attempt at a cross. A minute later there was an outcry from the main stand as Burchill was charging through and was upended by the clumsy centre back almost throwing the diminutive striker over his shoulder. Quite how the referee and linesman did not see it as a foul was simply extraordinary.
A couple of minutes later Burchill was charging down the left wing and his cross was just missed by Crawford who arrived just a split second too late.
Simmons picked up a yellow card for a trivial foul in 28 minutes.
Accies had their first effort a goal in 29 minutes as the Pars struggled to clear a cross (that Gallacher should have come for in the first instance) with the keeper tipping the header onto the top of the bar.
Woods and Phinn created another chance with Woods himself hitting a cracking shot that just missed the keepers top left corner.
Just when it seemed that the Pars would go in at half time with a lead Accies got an equaliser. The Pars had allowed a ball to get put back in their box and despite a number of chances to get a boot on the ball Offiong broke through the crowded area to slot past Gallacher. Half time 1-1.
The Pars had to bring on Greg Shields as Scott Thomson picked up an injury just on half time. Alex Burke had a good run in the first minute of the half but his cross from the left was cleared. Calum Woods put over another good cross a minute later and Simmons was unlucky to get a bit under the ball as his header went over.
Stevie Crawford took a quick throw in 57 minutes to his strike partner but Burchill could not get his shot on target.
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