[tab:Match report]
Lewis Irons at Fir Park
Motherwell ended their losing run with a convincing 2-0 win over local rivals Hamilton Accies.
A bizarre Scott McMann own-goal gave Stephen Robinson’s side a perfect start to their Scottish Cup campaign, before Craig Tanner coolly converted from the penalty spot to send the Fir Parker side through to the fifth round.
There were three new faces in claret and amber as Curtis Main, Nadir Çiftçi and Tom Aldred made their debuts in the opening game of 2018.
And things got off to the perfect start when Scott McMann’s back-pass evaded goalkeeper Gary Woods and rolled in to the net after just four minutes.
Aldred nearly marked his debut with a goal when the ball broke to the centre-back from a corner, but the defender’s effort on the spin flashed wide of the mark.
Two minutes later, Tanner was bundled to the deck in the Accies box and it seemed a certain penalty, but Craig Thomson waved play on despite protests around the ground.
Curtis nearly became the main man of the afternoon when Allan Campbell’s surging run and neat through ball picked out ‘Well’s new number nine, but his prodded effort flew narrowly over Woods’ crossbar.
Ten minutes before the break though, Tanner doubled the hosts advantage with a well-taken penalty.
But it was the build-up that made it, with a glorious Çiftçi flick freeing Main in the box. The striker was tripped and Thomson pointed straight to the spot, before Tanner sent Woods the wrong way to bag his seventh goal of the season.
Aldred’s impressive start to life in Lanark was marred slightly when the defender pulled up with injury in the 37th minute. Robinson took no risks and replaced the new recruit with the soon-to-retire Stevie Hammell.
Just minutes in to the second half, Charles Dunne produced a crucial block to deny Accies a route back in to the game – but the home side quickly regained focus.
Cédric Kipré nodded Tait’s clever cross inches over the bar, before skipper Carl McHugh nearly produced a stunning goal with a half-volley from the edge of the area which was narrowly wide.
Çiftçi couldn’t bag his first Motherwell goal before being replaced by Gaël Bigirimana in the 66th minute, but his curled effort minutes before tested keeper Woods, who produced a good stop.
Main made way for Alex Fisher in the 78th minute of the match, and a minute later McHugh crashed a header against the bar from Tanner’s delivery, before sending an audacious over-head kick wide of the mark – which would have sent the home crowd wild had it found the top corner.
Fisher nearly found the back of the net to wrap up a fine afternoon for the Steelmen but his effort from Tanner’s neat cut-back was straight at Woods.
[tab:As it happened]
Alastair Reilly at Fir Park
Live Blog Motherwell v Hamilton
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