Jim Goodwin reckons both St Mirren and Hamilton did enough to merit a point in their 1-1 draw as he praised the likes of Watford loanee Alex Jakubiak and Lee Hodson’s impact.
Goodwin’s side were pinned back in the first half, finding themselves 1-0 down. David Templeton marked his first Accies start since returning to South Lanarkshire with a fine strike.
Templeton scored. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
The Buddies battled back after this, getting back on level terms through a stunning Ilkay Durmus free kick. Hamilton almost snatched a victory at the death but Mickel Miller’s late penalty didn’t hit the net.
A point lifts Accies off the bottom whilst St Mirren remain three points above safety. Goodwin reckons a point was fair in the end as he praised the impact of two of his new signings.
“It was the proverbial game of two halves I think,” said Goodwin. “We were nowhere near good enough in the first half and showed a large improvement in the second half. We were lucky to come in just a goal down at half-time, Vaclav makes a terrific save onto the crossbar.
Hladky pulled off a stop . (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
“But I’ve got to give credit to the players for the way they went about in the second half. They showed a bit of character and got themselves back in the game and we knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“I thought it was a really scrappy game all night and, over the piece, the point is probably merited. We know how Hamilton go about it. They’re very good at what they do and they get good balls up to Ogkmpoe, who is a handful for the centre-halves, and then fight and scrap for the second balls.
“We didn’t do the basics well enough tonight – and by that I mean winning challenges, picking up second balls and competing – Hamilton were the better team in the first half and in the second we asked the boys to show a bit more composure and play to the levels they were capable of.
Goodwin has praised the Watford and Gillingham men. (Photo by Vagelis Georgariou/Action Plus via Getty Images)
“I felt that we did that and I asked them to utilise the space and the area for the full-backs but we didn’t do that well enough in the first half.
“Second half, I thought we were better. Yes, we rode our luck in the end with the stupid penalty that we gave away, and thankfully they’ve not punished us for that, but if you look back at the stats like the chances created by both teams and the possession then I think a draw was fair.
“It was a must not lose. I thought Lee was excellent apart from the poor decision for the penalty. I think you can see what Alex is going to bring to the team with his pace and his power. The substitutes certainly made an impact.”