Dunfermline Athletic Football Club

U20s v Hamilton Accies

Tuesday, 17th Nov 2015

SPFL Development League: David Hopkirk (9) 1-0; Andy Ryan (34) 1-1; Marc Kelly (89) 1-2

DUNFERMLINE 1 HAMILTON ACCIES 2

Third top Accies travelled to East End Park for this SPFL Development League match. Josh Falkingham continued his comeback starting this match along with other first team squad players Lewis Spence and David Hopkirk. Otherwise it was a young squad with John Potter naming himself as a sub.

Hamilton and had the first attempt on goal with a shot went just past Cammy Gill's right goalpost in the first minute. Then Hamilton won a corner on the left side of the pitch but Reece Duncan headed the ball clear and then shortly after Andy Ryan fired a shot across goal.

Falkingham gave away a free kick midway in the Pars half and when Steven Boyd delivered the ball into the Pars box, Want sent his header wide of goal. In the ninth minute the Pars were to take the lead when Johnny Galloway's pass to HOPKIRK allowed him to shoot across goal into the right hand side of the Accies net. 1-0

Christian Nade and then Boyd had chances for Hamilton but both were off the mark. Reece Duncan sent a low cross into the Accies area but it was cleared out. Hopkirk had another chance in 14th minute but this time his shot went just wide of Alan Martin's goal.

Hopkirk had another attempt on goal but the Accies keeper dived low to his right to save in 21st minute and then Morrison cleared a dangerous ball at the other end. Robbie Crawford was unlucky next minute when good work by Paul Joseph Crossan on the left nearly set him up for a shot on goal but he seemed to take his eye off the ball and the chance was lost.

A Hamilton free kick at the corner of the Pars box was deflected for a corner and when it was delivered, Galloway was there to head the ball out of defence. Nade headed wide from an Accies corner after Gill had slipped in the box. Hamilton equalised in 34th minute when a through pass from Shaun Want, allowed RYAN to lob Gill inside the area. Cammy Gill then stopped Accies from going ahead when he stopped a shot from Hughes on his line.

Hopkirk then had a shot which brought out a great save by Martin at the other end and a Falkingham free kick was deflected for a corner off the Hamilton wall. When the corner came in Spence was unlucky not to get his shot away.

Half Time: Dunfermline 1 Hamilton Accies 1

Dunfermline started the brighter of the two teams in the second half and when Hopkirk raced clear his shot was deflected by a defender to keeper Martin. Crossan had a good run down the left side but lost the ball when Galloway was free in the box. In 57 minutes it was Cammy McClair's turn to fire in a great shot that Martin parried.

Accies Ross Cunningham had a couple of chances in the space of a few minutes for Hamilton. Hopkirk then sent in a great cross but there were no takers. Crossan dispossessed a Hamilton defender in the box but before he could do anything with the ball, he himself was dispossessed.

In the 81st minute Boyd sent a shot wide of Gill's goal and then Morrison cleared a dangerous ball into the box. Crossan tried to break away in the Hamilton half but was judged to have fouled Want. With a minute to go of normal time, Hamilton scored what was to be the winner. KELLY fired in a shot that took a wicked deflection low to Gill's left hand side.

This was a good display by the young team and they were unfortunate to lose in the final minute.

Coach John Potter commented exclusively to this website:

"I was pretty pleased with 89 minutes of it, I thought we competed well and had a lot of good chances in the first half. We scored a great goal from Hoppy but I was disappointed with the goal that we lost between Stuart (Morrison) and Cammy Gill.

"In the second half we had a couple of good opportunities but didn't work the goalkeeper enough but I thought that we defended well and were as good as them in the game. Losing the goal at the end was disappointing.

"We spoke before about losing goals from crosses, crosses coming in and not picking up in the middle and that's how it ended up. The goal did take a wicked deflection but I would have liked to stop the cross in the first place and try and stop the shot. We didn't do that - it is unlucky, the same as last week against Partick Thistle when they had a shot from the edge of the box which had a deflection. It is unlucky but I would like to try and get a bit closer and stop the shot.

"I thought Hamilton had a lot of the ball in the first half, but we had good chances. Robbie had two good chances, Johnny's had a good header and Hoppy scored a good goal. Chances wise I thought we had the better ones.

"Hoppy and Josh were given more game time and to be fair to the boys they are quite keen to play. They are always great when they come back down and Josh has played the last two or three games catching up with fitness and he has been great in all the games.

"The younger boys can learn from him, obviously when you take them off you lose that wee bit but that happens, his organisation and skill in the middle of the park. The young boys have got to learn and stand up and do that for themselves."

DUNFERMLINE: Cammy Gill; Reece Duncan, Jordan Orru, Stuart Morrison, Cammy McClair; Josh Falkingham (Callum Smith 75), Robbie Crawford, Lewis Spence (Brandon Luke 68), Johnny Galloway; Paul Joseph Crossan, David Hopkirk (John James Henderson 68)
SUBS NOT USED: Scott Sutherland, John Potter, Josh Dunn (GK)
SCORERS: Hopkirk (9)

HAMILTON ACCIES: Alan Martin; Ben Reilly, Rowan Hughes, Shaun Want (c), Colin Granger, Chris Turner (Rico Quitongo 64), Ross Cunningham, Jack Simpson, Christian Nade (Ryan Tierney 64), Steven Boyd, Andy Ryan (Marc Kelly 79)
SUBS NOT USED: Conor Scullion, O'Halloran, Alex Marshall (GK)
YELLOW CARD: Cunningham (34) Nade (43)

REFEREE: Scott Millar
WEATHER: Showery 4C
ATTENDANCE

NEXT MATCH: SPFL Development League (away) v Dundee, Tuesday 24th November 2015, kick off 6.00pm at Montrose

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