Hearts 2 Hamilton 1

Sep 27 2009 Rob Fairburn

RAGING Hamilton boss Billy Reid blasted the spot-kick award that put Hearts on the road to victory.

Michael Stewart's penalty followed a minute later by a cheeky back-heel finish from Suso Santana earned the Jambos a much-needed three points.

But Reid was furious at the spot-kick award that tilted the game in Hearts' favour.

The Accies' gaffer claimed Austrian striker David Witteveen made the most of the challenge in the box from Martin Canning.

And Reid also said assistant ref Charlie Smith missed a blatant handball from Jambos' full-back Jose Goncalves in the build up.

He said: "The linesman has got involved in several incidents earlier on but when the ball clearly hit Goncalves on the arm he did not flag.

"Then the guy has turned Canning, knocked the ball out the park then gone over the top of our player.

"I am gutted for the club and the players because they put so much effort in and deserved something from the game."

Reid's men battled right to the end and gave the home side an uncomfortable final half-hour after pulling a goal back through Portuguese striker Marco Paixao.

Hearts, though, could have tied up the points in the first half if they had put a finishing touch to some of the chances they created.

Suso volleyed Goncalves' cross wide of the target as early as the third minute.

But the main threat came from the rampaging runs of Craig Thomson down the right flank and his dangerous deliveries.

He set up Witteveen on at least two occasions but the striker failed to get a proper connection with his headers.

A Thomson corner just after the half-hour then picked out David Obua at the far post but his header came back off the bar with Ismael Bouzid unable to convert the rebound.

Hamilton then had their own chance to break the deadlock.

Richard Hastings went inches wide with a deflected 30-yard freekick before Simon Mensing sent Mickael Antoine-Curier in behind the Hearts defence but the striker blew it by firing his shot from the edge of the box high and wide.

Hearts made the crucial breakthrough in 56 minutes when Witteveen went down theatrically under Canning's challenge but Alan Muir pointed straight to the spot and Stewart dispatched the penalty with ease.

Wittenveen was sent clear seconds later only for Mark McLaughlin to recover with a saving tackle.

But Hamilton failed to clear Thomson's corner and Suso found the corner of the net with a back-heel flick from two yards out.

The two quick-fire goals appeared to have settled the game but Accies managed to pull one back in 62 minutes.

The Hearts defence switched off as sub Grant Evans' through ball picked out Paixao and the striker found his spot with a sweet right-foot finish.

Pittenveen again went down after getting goalside of McLaughlin who was shown a yellow card for clipping the hitman as the home fans screamed for red.

Hamilton pushed in vain in the latter stages for a leveller although the Hearts defence got themselves in a tangle when Goncalves sliced his clearance for a corner when he expected keeper Janos Balogh to come for the ball.

The dispute lingered on until full-time and the feuding teammates had to be separated by Zaliukas at the final whistle.

Ref Watch Alan Muir was conned into awarding the penalty. The decision changed the game and he called it wrong.

Rating 5/10.

Taken from the Sunday Mail