Baird relieves pressure on man Hearts

IAN PAUL

29 Aug 1991

Hamilton 0, Hearts 2

LIKE many a favourite before them, Hearts found it hard work at Hamilton.

They played well below form, and against a first-division team with Skol Cup ambitions like Accies, that was decidedly risky.

They squeezed through to a meeting with Rangers next week, thanks to a John Robertson penalty and a late goal by Ian Baird, but for the last 20 minutes they had to do without their £200,000 signing from Portsmouth, Graeme Hogg, who became the latest man to be sent off under the new guidelines.

Hogg, who was having only his second game for the Edinburgh club, now misses the capital derby at Tynecastle on Saturday.

His colleagues will need to do much better then if they are to keep up their 100 per cent premier-division record.

For much of the time there wasn't a lot to get excited about.

Everybody scurried and hurried and the ball got a fair belting, but little of this energy threatened to produce the end product.

However, as has been their style through the years, Hamilton showed no sense of awe at tangling with officially loftier opponents and, indeed, they kept getting in the way as Hearts tried to wind up their premier-division machine.

After a while, sensing there was not a great deal coming from Hearts, Accies decided to have a go themselves.

It took them 16 minutes before they managed a serious attack, but for a few seconds it looked as if they had been awarded a goal under strictly false pretences.

Trevor Smith, trying to set up a pass from Napier, flicked the ball on with his hand and then whacked it past his namesake in the Tynecastle goal.

Referee Williamson, who at that point had perhaps dozed off along with the rest of us, signalled a goal but, fortunately for Hearts, the far-side linesman had spotted this little piece of chicanery and let Mr Williamson see the light.

So did Hearts, who managed to come to life for a spell during which they would have taken the lead but for Alan Ferguson.

The Accies keeper made a magnificent one-handed save from John Millar, who must have been convinced that his well struck 20-yard shot was heading for the net.

Hamilton's busy midfielder, Billy Reid, had to go off the field to have a head wound attended, but while he was absent his team came up with their best effort yet, a shot by McKee after a neat breakaway move.

The ball was held low down by Smith, but it gave the first-divison team's confidence a further boost.

Within 10 minutes Reid returned to the field, his head swathed in bandages that left his hair sticking out like a pony tail.

But it was his team-mate Colin Miller who brought out a sound save from Henry Smith with a long-range shot.

Hearts, too, had a good try, a Crabbe header which went over the bar.

It needed only four minutes of the second half to find the goal that had been absent all through the first period.

And it was a tough break for former Hearts player Hugh Burns, who allowed a Mackay pass to go past him, believing the ball would run safely to keeper Ferguson.

Out of his vision, however, was Scott Crabbe, who nipped in to intercept but, inevitably, was tripped by the diving keeper.

John Robertson hit the penalty kick hard enough to beat Ferguson, although the young man did get a hand to it.

Hamilton, who mounted a gallant rescue attempt, brought on Clark for Harris.

Hearts retaliated by replacing Millar with Harrison.

In 70 minutes Hogg was sent off after hauling back Accies substitute Clark by his shirt.

The Hamilton man had pounced on a short passback by the Tynecastle defender and referee Williamson really had no option but to show the new man the red card.

Accies managed only to collect a corner out of the free kick, and all their admirable efforts were nullified when Baird scored eight minutes from the end after Harrison had headed against a post.

HAMILTON -- Ferguson, McKee, Miller, Millen, Weir, Reid, Harris, Burns, Smith, Napier, McDonald.

Substitutes -- Clark, Moore.

HEARTS -- Smith, Hogg, McKinlay, Levein, Mackay, McPherson, Crabbe, Ferguson, Baird, Millar, Robertson.

Substitutes -- Foster, Harrison.

Referee -- H F Williamson (Renfrew).

Taken from the Herald