Best yet for ebullient Hamilton boss Brian Rice

Posted Monday, December 30, 2019 by PA

Brian Rice hailed his side’s second-half performance as the best of his Hamilton reign after they came from behind to beat Motherwell at Fir Park.

Third-placed Well looked set to build on Christopher Long’s fifth-minute opener as they started in impressive fashion, but Hamilton grew into the game and dominated the second half.

Aaron McGowan and David Moyo both set each other up to score and the latter’s header sealed a 2-1 victory 13 minutes from time.

The visitors held on comfortably to move five points clear of the Ladbrokes Premiership’s bottom club Hearts.

Rice said: “The boys are delighted – the last game of the decade against our local rivals, who we have struggled against recently. We have come here and put on a performance.

“The first 20 minutes Motherwell were on top but after that there was only one team were going to win the game.

“The second-half performance was probably the best I have seen since I came to the club.

“We started the second half on the front foot and never came off it, we scored two good goals and I’m just disappointed we didn’t score more.

“It was a wee bit of everything, first and foremost the quality of our play.

“Motherwell dominated the first 15-20 minutes but when I changed the shape it helped the team.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with the win but I’m buzzing with the performance and never-say-die attitude, winning every second ball and every tackle. That was a performance right out the top drawer second half.

“I don’t usually boast about my team but I thought they were absolutely brilliant.”

Moyo, a summer signing from St Albans, picked the perfect time to hit his first goal for Accies.

“I’m absolutely delighted for David Moyo,” Rice said. “I went down to England to watch a game when he was playing as a triallist for Chorley.

“I liked what I saw and thought I’d give him a wee chance. He can head the ball, he can jump and he can work. He scored a magnificent header.”

Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson felt his side were guilty of believing their own hype after their dominant start.

“We started really, really well and then it looked like it was too easy for us,” he said.

“The lesson is, if you think you’ve made it and stop doing the simple things well, you lose football matches.

“Credit to Accies, they won every header and every second ball, and we saw it coming. We changed the shape to give us more height because they were winning every header, but it didn’t work.

“I take full responsibility, I picked the team and set us up.

“I will be measured in what I say when we put it into perspective where we are. It’s certainly a blip and a kick in the backside that we perhaps needed, that we aren’t the team we are if we don’t do the simple things.

“We looked jaded, we didn’t have many options on the bench and the changes we made didn’t work, so I take a lot of the blame.

“But it doesn’t mater about shape and changes, if you don’t do the simple things, you don’t win matches.”