HAMILTON Accies' remarkable start to life in the top flight continued on Saturday, although they were reliant upon a significant slice of good fortune after a mistake from Jamie Duff, Inverness Caley Thistle's teenage debutant, allowed Richard Offiong to score the only goal of the game.
The newly-promoted side's second victory in as many games maintained their unlikely status as league leaders and, with a trip to Kilmarnock next up this Saturday, it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if Billy Reid's fearless crop of youngsters were to
extend their 100 per cent record for another week at least.
They had to show their mettle to overcome Craig Brewster's men, and the performance of Scotland Under-21 internationalist James McArthur, whose work is sometimes overshadowed by that of his similarly-named colleague James McCarthy, was singled out for praise by manager Billy Reid.
"McArthur is a machine," said Reid. "The amount of work he gets through in a game is just fantastic. He can pass the ball and score goals. He is a young lad who is going to make a name for himself in the game."
The game's decisive goal came on the stroke of half-time when Duff, the 19-year-old centre-back who was only playing due to the fact captain Grant Munro was sidelined by injury, was dispossessed near the touchline and Offiong surged towards goal before slipping a shot past Michael Fraser.
Phil McGuire, Duff's defensive partner, backed the youngster to recover from his harrowing experience.
"It's one of those things when you are playing at the back," said the former Aberdeen and Dunfermline player. "A striker can miss 10 chances but if you make a mistake and they score, everybody remembers it.
"We weren't tested greatly but whatever Jamie had to deal with before and after the mistake he dealt with admirably. He has a great career ahead of him."
The full article contains 328 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
