Manager Kevin Murphy said after the match: “To lose the first game of the season is disappointing and we never really got going in the first half. In the second half we looked a bit more like ourselves and took the game to Aberdeen. Credit to the home team though who fought for everything and stayed resilient throughout. We must focus on next week when we entertain Kilmarnock.”
Hamilton started this game with some of their new signings playing their competitive debuts for the club as a number of experienced players were out through injury.
Within the first minute Aberdeen could have taken the lead when a hopeful ball was hit long and bounced between the two Accies centre halves, only for poor finishing to get in the way of Aberdeen taking an early lead.
Hamilton’s first decent move of the match came on six minutes when a good run down the right by Toni Mason was followed by a great cross to the back post which was met on the half volley by young Cara McBrearty. The Aberdeen keeper then gave Hamilton a glimpse of what was to come with a good save on the line.
The home side huffed and puffed for most of the first half and on 30 minutes found themselves a goal down. Rebecca Dempster muscled her way into the box and her low cross found Nicky Wright who fired home the opener for Aberdeen.
Hamilton struggled to get a foothold in the game after this setback and the first half petered out with no significant chances being made at either end.
The second half started in much the same way as Hamilton controlled the game but were struggling to make any real chances. With 30 minutes to go Hamilton tried to change things around with the introduction of Susan Fairlie and Ashley McDonald. It brought some success as most of the game was now being played out in the home team’s half, chances started to arrive but it was one of those days when the ball would not break kindly for the strikers.
As the match was nearing its finish Hamilton upped the pressure again hoping their superior fitness would pay dividends. Striker Jenny Rodgers was brought on to replace Terri Donnelly as Hamilton went to two at the back and such was the pressure that the home team were pinned back almost in their own penalty box.
Right on the final whistle a cross into the box by Mason found the head of Katie Reilly who could only watch agonisingly as her well-directed header bounced badly on the poor surface and bobbled just the wrong side of the post.
The last-minute miss basically summed up Hamilton’s day, a lot of missed tackles a lot of misplaced passes and a great deal of poor finishing when a bit of composure would have at least rescued a point if not all three.
Hamilton: Cunningham, Inglis, Donnelly, King, McGuire, Templeton, Reilly, Mason, McBrearty, McCulloch and Seagrave.
Subs: Rodgers, Crilly, Fairlie and McDonald
Match report provided by James Crilly
