Guillaume Beuzelin cut a disconsolate figure after his side’s heroic draw in the Lanarkshire derby. The Hamilton Academical midfield player did little to aid his team’s cause after being sent off on 30 minutes for two bookable offences in as many minutes. It was the Frenchman’s first start for the club and he should have been experienced enough to curb his enthusiasm during the first-half exchanges.
The 30-year-old was booked in the 28th minute for a tackle on Jim O’Brien. Two minutes later, he had a rush of blood to the head and clipped the heels of Mark Reynolds. Neither tackle was dangerous, but both ran the risk of a booking and the referee, Craig Thomson, did not hesitate to brandish his cards.
Billy Reid, the Hamilton manager, was livid at the decision but perhaps should have directed some of his ire at Beuzelin. Afterwards, the former Hibernian midfield player expressed his disappointment at the decision, but bore the look of a guilty man.
“I thought to get two yellow cards was harsh,” he said. “I should have maybe been booked for one of the challenges but not two. It’s frustrating because now I have to work to get back in the team. I said sorry [to the rest of the players] at half time.”
It was a testament to Hamilton’s astonishing resolve that they managed to filch a point. In fact, they could have had all three after twice taking the lead in the last half-hour. Simon Mensing opened the scoring with a looping header before Jamie Murphy’s 30-yard screamer for Motherwell restored parity.
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Still Hamilton poured forward and Marco Paixao scored again with eight minutes to go. The home side were three minutes away from a memorable victory before Lukas Jutkiewicz calmly dispatched Giles Coke’s cross to earn a draw. “Playing more than half the game with ten men is never easy but it was a fantastic performance,” Beuzelin said.
His midfield counterpart, Ross Forbes, of Motherwell, also endured a forgettable afternoon. The 20-year-old has had a superb season so far, but failed to convert a first-half spot-kick after O’Brien was upended in the box. “I was disappointed,” he said, “but I’ve scored four out of five this season so I will be looking for the next one.”
Hamilton Academical (4-5-1): T Cerny 8 — T McClenahan 6, M Canning 6, M McLaughlin 7, R Hastings 5 (sub: G Evans, 46 5; sub: D Elebert, 90) — S Mensing 7 (sub: S Mills, 85), J McArthur 6, G Beuzelin 4, J Wesolowski 6, M Paixao 7 — M Antoine-Curier 7. Substitutes not used: S Murdoch, F Paixao, J P Kissock, J Kirkpatrick. Booked: McClenahan, Beuzelin. Sent off: Beuzelin.
Motherwell (4-4-2): M Fraser 6 — C Humphrey 6, S Saunders 6, S Craigan 5 (sub: J Murphy, 46 7), M Reynolds 6 — G Coke 6, T Hateley 6, R Forbes 5 (sub: S Jennings, 60 5), J O’Brien 6 (sub: R McHugh, 77) — J Sutton 6, L Jutkiewicz 5. Substitutes not used: S Kosiorowski, K Lasley, M Archdeacon, J Page. Booked: Jennings.
Referee: C Thomson. Attendance: 3,583.