First Division Hamilton Academical booked their place in the
quarter-finals of the CIS Insurance Cup for the first time in 26 years
after sending 10-man Kilmarnock crashing out of the competition at New
Douglas Park.
Killie threatened first. Rhian Dodds' corner picked out the head of
David Lilley and he nodded inches wide of the upright within the opening
minute.
Killie boss Jim Jefferies was then forced into an early change of
plan when Dodds limped out of the action with less than 10 minutes gone
and was replaced by teenager Ian Flanagan, who made his first team
debut!
Hamilton were determined to not be overawed by their SPL visitors and
McArthur had a decent chance to open the scoring when he pounced on a
poor headed clearance from Lilley and lashed just over from the edge of
the box.
Killie did not heed the warning signs and found themselves trailing
after just 16 minutes. The defence failed to deal with a David Winters
cross into the box and the ball broke to McCarthy who gleefully rifled
past helpless goalkeeper Alan Combe.
Parity could have been restored almost immediately when Colin Nish
teed up Grant Murray for the header and only the quick reflexes of
goalkeeper Bryn Halliwell prevented the ball from nestling in the back
of the net.
At the other end, Winters had the home crowd on their feet when he
burst through on goal with only Combe to beat but fired into the
side-netting from an awkward angle.
McArthur had more luck, doubling the advantage after 37 minutes.
Lilley tried to clear a Mark Gilhaney cross only for the ball to
unintentionally come off his hand. Claims for a penalty were ignored by
referee Kenny Clark but the ball broke kindly to McArthur who sent a
right-footed shot low into the back of the net.
Kilmarnock threw both their remaining substitutes into the action for
the second half in a bid to haul themselves back into the tie, David
Fernandez and Ryan Jarvis replacing Alan Johnson and Craig Bryson.
Frazer Wright joined Lilley in the referee's book shortly after the
restart for clattering into Tom Parratt but the two-goal deficit seemed
to have knocked most of the fight out of Killie and they rapidly ran out
of ideas as the clocked ticked down.
Just when all hope seemed to be gone, Nish could have sparked the tie
back into life but the big striker's effort trickled past the upright,
summing up a dismal night for Kilmarnock.
The Rugby Park club's misery was compounded with 12 minutes to go
when Fernandez was dismissed after picking up two yellow cards in quick
succession for dissent as tempers boiled over.
