Team news

Reid hails Gannon effort Hamilton boss Billy Reid has put Lanarkshire rivalry to one side to applaud the job Jim Gannon has done at Motherwell this season.

Gannon brings his young side to New Douglas Park having confounded expectations they would struggle this term.

With just one Clydesdale Bank Premier League defeat and an unbeaten record away from home, Motherwell lie fourth in the table with more than a quarter of the season gone.

Reid told Press Association Sport: "Some of the results they've had have been incredible, for me.

"I've seen them once or twice and they've done okay, but they seem to have the ability to win matches and pick up points, and it's all credit to what Jim Gannon's done at the club.

"He's given two or three of the younger players an opportunity to come in and play, and they've repaid him with some fantastic performances and results." As a man who prides himself on bringing through young players, Reid is particularly impressed by the way Gannon has put his faith in youth.

But the Accies boss' will leave his admiration in the New Douglas Park dressing room tomorrow as he bids to even the score in recent derby meetings between the sides.

"It's a game we're looking forward to," he said.

"We had five smashing games last year. I think Motherwell won three of them and we won two, so it's all to play for.

"They've done really well this season and we feel as if we're starting to get there.

"I did say that things were improving and that continued on Saturday.

"We feel as though we're getting to where we should be at the moment." Second-bottom Hamilton secured a vital victory at St Mirren last weekend, only their second win of the season.

Hamilton captain Alex Neil is unlikely to make his first appearance of the season.

Neil's bid to build up his match fitness following summer hip surgery suffered a setback when this week's behind-closed-doors friendly against Dundee United was postponed due to bad weather.

Long-term casualties Derek Lyle and James Gibson both remain on the sidelines with knee problems, while young striker Gary Gow is out with a broken elbow.

Left-back Stevie Hammell will miss out for Motherwell.

Hammell is still nursing a hamstring strain and will be given the international break to recover.

Paul Slane (calf) is still missing but Motherwell have no fresh injuries.

Lukas Jutkiewicz admits he would not want to leave Motherwell in January if it meant losing out on regular first-team football.

The on-loan Everton striker this week picked up the Clydesdale Bank young player of the month award after netting three goals during Motherwell's unbeaten SPL run in October.

The first of those, a winning header against Falkirk, was his first goal for two and a half years since leaving Swindon in a deal worth up to #1million.

The 20-year-old is beginning to hit the form which persuaded David Moyes to invest such money as he builds up his sharpness.

Jutkiewicz, whose loan expires in January, has only played once for Everton and has also spent short loan spells at Plymouth and Huddersfield, so he is relishing the first-team environment.

"That's the thing I came up here for, regular football, so it's been a big bonus," he said. "So going back down to Everton and not playing wouldn't help me but I will leave it for the clubs to decide.

"There have not been any talks yet and I'm not really looking for talks just yet. I just want to keep playing and hopefully keep scoring.

"There are still two months before my contract here expires and that's a long time in football, so hopefully I will keep scoring goals and keep playing and the two clubs can agree whatever or I go back to Everton.

"I've not thought too much about it." Jutkiewicz added: "With every match I feel sharper because I didn't have much of a pre-season.

"The lads have been playing competitive games in the summer in the Europa League so in terms of fitness they were ahead of me, and I was quite keen to turn that around.

Hamilton vs Motherwell

Last modified 17:27 07/11/09

Gannon's men refuse to be beaten Motherwell equalised twice in the final 12 minutes of a dramatic Lanarkshire derby earn a 2-2 draw to deny 10-man Hamilton a memorable Clydesdale Bank Premier League victory.

Former Motherwell midfielder Simon Mensing headed the opener on the hour mark after Tomas Cerny had kept Accies level with a string of saves, including a penalty stop from Ross Forbes.

Motherwell sub Jamie Murphy scored a spectacular equaliser but the visitors needed a Lukas Jutkiewicz goal to earn them a point four minutes from time after Marco Paixao had headed Accies back in front.

Hamilton were a man down for most of the game after Guillaume Beuzelin received two bookings inside two minutes and Cerny was by far the busier goalkeeper.

Motherwell manager Jim Gannon had to make three changes following injuries to Shaun Hutchinson, John Ruddy and Yassin Moutaouakil.

Former Inverness goalkeeper Michael Fraser made his first SPL appearance for Well while Stephen Craigan returned and winger Chris Humphrey deputised at right-back.

Well created the first chance of a frantic opening when Jutkiewicz turned and shot at Cerny and John Sutton had the ball in the Hamilton net in the 12th minute when he attacked Humphrey's cross, but the striker took out Cerny in the process and referee Craig Thomson blew for a foul.

Hamilton enjoyed some decent possession in the opening quarter and James Wesolowski set up Beuzelin on the left side of the box but the Frenchman sliced wide.

The former Hibernian midfielder was booked after sliding in to bring down O'Brien and less than two minutes later tripped Reynolds as the left-back skipped past him.

There was no doubt both challenges were fouls but Accies boss Billy Reid was furious with the resultant red card.

Cerny scrambled Tom Hateley's free-kick wide but Hamilton almost caught Well on the break when Marco Paixao's pass gave Mickael Antoine-Curier a yard of space inside the box, however the striker sliced wide.

O'Brien earned Motherwell a 39th-minute penalty when he was brought down by Richard Hastings' clumsy tackle but Cerny parried Forbes' centrally-placed spot-kick.

Steven Saunders' header was cleared off the line from O'Brien's corner and Cerny made another flying save from Hateley's long-range effort in injury-time.

Gannon took off Craigan with Hateley dropping back and Murphy coming on at right wing and Cerny saved Hamilton again two minutes into the second half.

Good play from Sutton and O'Brien set up the overlapping Reynolds but his low drive was straight at the Hamilton keeper, who then blocked Sutton's follow-up.

Sutton headed just wide from O'Brien's corner and Giles Coke shot wide before Hamilton survived a two-on-one break when Martin Canning cut out Murphy's pass for Jutkiewicz on the edge of his box.

Paixao shot over from a 25-yard free-kick and Fraser had yet to make a save when he picked the ball out the net in the 60th minute as Mensing found space to head Paixao's corner into the far corner.

Motherwell almost went further behind when Saunders lost Antoine-Curier as the striker was found by McLaughlin's long ball, but the on-loan Dundee man shot inches wide of the far post.

Cerny pounced on the ball under pressure from Coke and Jennings shot wide from eight yards but Motherwell's pressure had subsided before Murphy scored a glorious 78th-minute equaliser. The Scotland Under-21 international made space for himself 30 yards out and curled into the top corner.

Jennings shot just wide from 20 yards but Hamilton incredibly regained the lead in the 81st minute when Paixao headed into the corner from 10 yards after Wesolowski broke down the right and crossed.

But Well levelled again in the 86th minute when Cerny could not keep out Jutkiewicz's sidefoot finish following Coke's low cross from the right.