Accies lead after two rounds of matches
I would be easy to come on here and write yet again about the terrible refereeing decisions that have once more blighted our game. Once again it was Dundee United at the centre of it all. Charlie Richmond denied Dundee United a clear penalty in the second half of Sunday’s match against Celtic, the third time this has now happened to United against either the Old Firm since Craig Levein took over as manager.
Since I will most likely have plenty more opportunities to vent my anger about how difficult it is to play against either half of the Old Firm when there is a level playing field, never mind having to play against the officials as well, I thought I would take this opportunity to praise the excellent start to the season made by newly-promoted Hamilton, who find themselves top of the league with a 100% record after two matches.
When the fixtures for the SPL were announced, Hamilton, knowing they were likely to be involved in a scrap for survival, must have looked upon the opening month of the season rather favourably. Four or five points from the first four matches against Dundee United, Inverness, Kilmarnock and Hearts must have seemed a real possibility for Billy Reid and his side, which would have relieved some of the pressure that unequivocally manifests when new-boys get off to a slow start.
They have already surpassed these expectations taking six points from six and they can now feel a little more confident about their future in the SPL. Two years ago, the then new-promoted St Mirren got their campaign off to a flyer with maximum points from their first two matches. The Paisley side then went on to pick up four points in their next four matches, which, in the end, helped ensure their survival as it took until the last day of the season to confirm they would be playing top flight football the following year.
Like St Mirren then, Hamilton will still surely find themselves at the wrong end of the table come April and much hard work is needed to avoid dropping back down at the first time of asking. However, a good start to the campaign cannot be underestimated. Had they taken no, or even one, point(s) from their opening fixtures, pressure would slowly have mounted on the team to get points on the board before they were cut adrift, as happened to Gretna last season before their financial difficulties finally caught up with them. After the first fifteen matches Gretna had only managed five points, which they never recovered from.
Reid seems to have the correct mixture of experience and youth, even if it is the extreme ends of both – Chris Swailes, 37; James McCarthy, 17. His side also seem fearless. Many tipped Hamilton to go straight back down but being written off before a ball is kicked is enough motivation in some cases, by fuelling the squad with determination to prove everyone wrong.
A long season lies ahead for everyone at New Douglas Park but if they keep up their exciting attacking football, they will be a welcomed addition to the SPL for years to come.
