Hamilton Accies 0 Hearts 2

Feb 14 2011 By David McCarthy

THEY came prancing on in their gloves, snoods and day-glo boots and hardly looked the type you'd need beside you in the trenches for a relegation battle. But Flavio and Marco Paixao might be EXACTLY what Billy Reid needs if he is to keep Hamilton in the SPL this season.

The twins might not be everybody's cup of tea but they can produce something different and provided a second-half spark that Hamilton badly needed after an utterly dismal opening 45 minutes.

First half on Saturday they had First Division written all over them. Played off the park by a Hearts team that had only Stephen Elliott's 22nd-minute header to show for their superiority.

Within 40 seconds of the restart Elliott had doubled Hearts' lead and by that time Flavio was on. Shortly afterwards Marco replaced the injured Dougie Imrie and suddenly Accies had a bit of bounce and flair about them.

They didn't win the match but at least they asked questions of a Hearts back lot who could have played the first half in their slippers.

In fact, Andy Webster must have had harder days on Rangers' treatment table than he did in his second Jambos debut.

By the time the Portuguese duo became involved, though, the damage was done. But if Reid - who has worked miracles to keep his club in the top flight - is to do it again he has to be more positive in his approach from the start.

Lining up at home with five players in defence, four in midfield and Mickael Antoine-Curier so far isolated up front he was almost in a different postcode sent out the wrong message. It screamed that the bottom club cared more about not losing than winning.

Hearts set up camp in the Accies half and pummelled them but were restricted to just one goal during the siege, glanced home by Elliott after a charge up the left and terrific cross by man of the match Lee Wallace.

Jim Jefferies has built an effective unit but that doesn't mean Hamilton, fighting for their lives, should have shown them the respect they did in the first half. They were booed off at the break but the home fans got behind their side in the second half when Accies made a fight of it.

Hearts at least had to earn their corn and when Webster's match fitness gets up to scratch he will forge a formidable partnership with Marius Zaliukas.

Jambos are easily the third best team in Scotland - they are 15 points clear of fourth-placed Kilmarnock - and they've done it without top striker Kevin Kyle over the past month.

Kyle's absence has forced others to step up and Elliott is the latest to do so. His first goal was fabulous and his second fortunate, deflecting a Zaliukas header into the net from six yards after Accies failed to deal with a corner.

The former Sunderland striker said: "At half-time we were comfortable but the manager was at us to score a second goal and we did that quickly.

"I'm happy with the goals and to play through the middle. When Kevin's not in the team everybody tries their best to get among the goals and I might have had a hat-trick."

Elliott admitted he was shocked by Hamilton's negative approach.

He added: "The way they set up was very strange but we still had to break them down and we did that."

Jefferies agreed. He said: "I have never been involved in an SPL game like that in the first half. Either Billy was showing us huge respect or it was a sign of the position Hamilton are in and they were battling for a point.

"We had so much possession and could have been three or four up but fair play to them, they changed it at half-time and were sometimes going 4-2-4 to try to get back into the game."

The boss was delighted with Webster's first game back in Hearts colours, saying: "He looked like he had never been away - he was fantastic."

Accies boss Reid said the same of the Paixao twins but defended his right not to play them from the start.

He said: "I've been doing that recently and we have been losing.

"I don't always set up like we did but I wanted to frustrate Hearts and they didn't threaten before they scored the first goal. But we played really well in the second half."

STAR WARS

HAMILTON

Jon Routledge 6

Fine performance by the youngster.

Tomas Cerny 6

Absolutely no chance with both goals.

Ziggy Gordon 4

Struggled badly and was hooked at the break.

Martin Canning 5

Veteran fell asleep at Hearts' second goal.

David Elebert 5

Found himself in a much deeper position than usual.

Mark McLaughlin 5

Should have got much closer to Elliott at the opener.

Gavin Skelton 4

Never got close enough to Suso Santana.

Jim McAlister 5

Distribution not the best but didn't let head go down. David Buchanan 4 No one was surprised to see him hooked at the break.

Dougie Imrie 4

Taken off early in the second period with a hip injury.

Mickael Antoine-Curier 5

Wasted a decent second-half chance, didn't look sharp.

Subs: Mark Carrington - improved the home side, 5. Flavio Paixao - on ball at every occasion, 6. Marco Paixao - tried to make things happen, 6.

STAR MAN

HEARTS

Lee Wallace 8

Bursts forward caused huge problems for Accies.

Marian Kello 6

Coped well and won't have a quieter afternoon.

Craig Thomson 6

Never once stopped trying to push forward.

Andy Webster 6

Part of the reason why Kello had such an easy day.

Marius Zaliukas 7

The centre-half played a key role in the second.

Suso Santana 6

Gave Skelton problems, unlucky to be taken off.

Eggert Jonsson 6

A real nuisance for Accies, made things happen.

Ian Black 6

Had a war of words with his boss but worked hard.

Ruben Palazuelos 7

Not eye catching but broke up play in middle of park.

Rudi Skacel 6

Czech was thrust into attack and didn't disappoint.

Stephen Elliott 7

Bagged a double and impressive all-round play.

Subs: Andrew Driver - has built himself up and that could help him, 3. David Templeton - fine defensive duties, 3. Adrian Mrowiec - threw himself into tackles, 3.

MEN WHO MATTER

BILLY REID

Has to carry the can for going with such a defensive formation and only doing anything to change it after the damage had been done.

No lack of fight from his players but the lack of quality there to see. 4

JIM JEFFERIES

An easier afternoon than he could have envisaged beforehand. Decision to throw Webster straight in was vindicated by a solid performance from the centre back, while Wallace was outlet on the left. 7

VERDICT

A weird match with Hamilton's tactics in the first half surrendering the initiative to the visitors who fully deserved their victory. A better contest after the break but Hearts never looked like slipping up.

MAN IN BLACK

Stevie O'reilly had a fine match. Used his yellow card three times - each justified. Spoke to Webster and Curier instead of taking harsher action. 7

Taken from the Daily Record