'Magnificent' spat between Owain Fon Williams and David Raven pleases John Hughes
Boss John Hughes described the spat between two Inverness team-mates during the last-gasp 4-3 win over Hamilton as ``magnificent''.
Boss John Hughes described the spat between two Inverness team-mates during the last-gasp 4-3 win over Hamilton as magnificent''.
In a remarkable New Douglas Park encounter played in constant driving wind and rain, Caley Thistle keeper Owain Fon William and defender David Raven displayed real displeasure with each other in the 90th minute after substitute Christian Nade knocked in Accies third goal to make it 3-3, with other Caley players moving in to calm the situation.
However, with the last kick of the ball after three added minutes, Liam Polworth grabbed his second of the day to take all three Premiership points up to the Highlands and leave Hughes happy with the result and some rather orthodox display of commitment.
It was magnificent,'' said Hughes of Fon Williams and Raven.I really do (enjoy it). I am big on body language, character, I can see it, smell it, taste it.
It tells me - although it is not acceptable - that they care.
It is not acceptable but they care about results and so I will take that.''
Caley had been cruising with goals from midfielder Greg Tansey and Polworth before Accies fought back to level through substitute Carlton Morris and defender Ziggy Gordon.
In the 88th minute Tansey restored the visitors' lead with another wonderful free-kick from distance but the home side raced up the park and levelled through substitute Christian Nade only to be sunk by Polworth's second powerful strike of the game.
Hughes said: It should never have been like that. First and foremost, the opposition showed a great spirit and character to come back into the game, not just once, twice, three times and at 3-3 to be honest you are thinking, 'ah well, that's it'.
But for young Polworth to come up with that, it shows that there is a bit of spirit.
We are unbeaten in four. We are not going to be the team that we were last season, we have lost too many players, so it is a rebuild - what they have done is remarkable.''
Accies have won only one game in 11 and player/manager Martin Canning described the defeat as the lowest point of his career, as he now turns his attention to the Lanarkshire derby against Motherwell on Saturday.
Even as a player, I don't remember feeling a low like that when that goal went in but that's football,'' he said.
You can't feel sorry for yourself. You've got to bounce back and we have got a big game on Saturday.
It was a sore one to take. At 2-0, we probably weren't in the game and there was a little bit of a lack of belief.
We just needed a spark to get the belief back and after it went to 2-1, I thought we were excellent.
From there, we were on the ascendancy and probably looking to win the game.
I'm so disappointed for the boys to have lost. They put in so much effort in the second half.
It would've been easier for a lesser group to have chucked it at 2-0 but that wasn't the case and I'm just gutted they got nothing out of it.''