[FT] Hamilton 1 - 2 Rangers (Waghorn 45, 52)

[Norris Cole 0]

-v-

 

Friday 16th december, KO 19.45

 

I’m a bit long in the tooth as a football follower to talk of corners being turned, but something has happened over the last two games, our two best performances of the season. Suddenly both fans and players seem up for it. Whatever the final scoreline, Aberdeen – just starting to get ideas slightly above their station - were blown away by a much changed display of grit, determination, consistency and a wee bit of skill too. Hearts were comprehensively schooled. So while I doff my bunnet to the likes of Wes and Kiernan – both of whom have shown how much I actually know about football (nae much) – only consistency over the next five months will take us to a 2nd place finish. So here’s hoping this is the start of even slightly better times, time will tell, but at the very least it was an encouraging comeback from a frankly worrying non-performance at Tynecastle a fortnight ago. Seeing as it’s Christmas, I’d just be asking for a bit more precision in our finishing.

 

Hamilton Accies then. Maybe it’s just me, but Accies have long struck me as the only top flight side with a support willing to talk about the football, rather than indulge their sense of inadequacy with snarling hatred. I also think the strange high wall underneath the stands is pretty cool for some reason. And who can forget the absolute LOLathon when they put Hibs down on penalties (and we kept them down). So yeah, not my least favourite team. And of course, the first step on the long and glorious road to Nine In A Row. Though it was annoying to discover just a few months back that the iconic first goal of 9IAR was scored by Gary Stevens, as I thought back with horror at the 25 years of boasting of my Rangers knowledge with proud tales of Kevin Drinkell’s famous goal which started it all.

 

As well as the Accies did to keep things respectable at the Emptihad on Tuesday, I’d be looking for three wins out of three to lead us into the final game of the season against Celtic. After which will then be the time to start making reasonable judgement of Warburton’s stewardship during our return to the top league.

 

Prediction: Hamilton 0-2 Rangers

[pj_1872 0]

"And who can forget the absolute LOLathon when they put Hibs down on penalties"

 

Superb word choice haha!

 

I can see this being a tough game but if the passion and grit that you allude to are on display again I think we'll have too much for them.

[JFK-1 1,675]

I'm a Hamilton man born and bred and lived all my life there till coming to the US in 2012 so I have nothing against Hamilton. Been to Douglas Park supporting them on countless occasions in my youth but never been to the new Douglas Park.

 

Accies know their place in the big picture and have no illusions of being anything else. They're a small club surviving by finding and developing young talent which they then punt on to the bigger clubs and that's how they largely get by as a top flight club.

 

They can be a very tough nut to crack and especially so on their little plastic pitch. And even away from it they aren't so easily broken down as certain people at a certain midden discovered just last night. On another night Accies could have taken something from that as both sides registered just 2 goals each on target the entire match. They will create chances and we're going to have to turn up and be on our toes for this one.

 

Looking ahead I hope Accies survive another season and more in the SPL but if they were to be the one in the play off spot at the end I have a dream scenario for that. They meet the exuberant ones again and turn them over again. Oh how sweet that would be.

[26th of foot 5,838]

The last time we played at New Douglas Park, we defeated Albion Rovers 2-zip in a Scottish Cup replay. No complaints about the drastic plastic that night.

 

While we're at it, up until a dozen-15 years past, the Accies were always referred to as, 'the Acas'. Is it the club or the school that has demanded the change?

[Frankie 8,153]

Always a tough place to go and it's not often we play well there but we're coming off the back of two important wins to if we play with the same intensity then we should win.

[colinstein 294]

I wonder if they can narrow their pitch

[JFK-1 1,675]

I don't know if the dimensions are any different from the old Douglas Park but a comment Davie Cooper once made touched on how relatively narrow that was even at it's greatest extent. He was talking about his role as a winger and how difficult that was on narrow pitches. Said something like "to play as a winger at Douglas Park I would be standing out on the M8"

[SteveC 150]

The last time we played at New Douglas Park, we defeated Albion Rovers 2-zip in a Scottish Cup replay. No complaints about the drastic plastic that night.

 

While we're at it, up until a dozen-15 years past, the Accies were always referred to as, 'the Acas'. Is it the club or the school that has demanded the change?

 

I remember everyone I knew calling them the Accies far earlier than that - all my life in fact and it is a distressingly long one.

 

Anyway, here's the manager:

 

 

Rossiter is.....well you know the rest

[JFK-1 1,675]

I remember everyone I knew calling them the Accies far earlier than that - all my life in fact and it is a distressingly long one.

 

I'm from Hamilton born and bred and I don't recall it ever being anything else but Accies to the people of the town.

[SteveC 150]

Hodson: