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Daily Record
Sport
Andy McGilvray

Hamilton 3, Larne 0: Accies cruise to victory in first pre-season test

Hamilton eased to a comfortable win over Northern Irish Premiership side Larne in their first pre-season friendly of the summer.

Goals from Scott Martin, Andy Ryan and Adam McGowan had Accies cruising to victory by the 64th minute, with Larne offering little resistance, after having nearly scored in the first minute.

It was a decent test for the Championship side, who now send sides to Newmains and Larkhall Thistle on Saturday.

Scott Martin scored a well-crafted opener for Hamilton in 16 minutes, in a first half that was pretty even, with Accies edging it on forward chances.

Sub Andy Ryan bagged his first of the new season just over a minute into the second half and Adam McGowan added a third in 64 minutes, having also climbed off the bench at half-time.

Ellis Brown looked lively in the first 45, while Hamilton's two trialists showed promise.

Larne started well and carved the first chance of the game in the opening minute, but tailed off a bit after that, with keeper Ryan Fulton not having too much to do.

There were the usual raft of changes that you get in games like these, with Hamilton changing their entire line-up.

Accies appeared to be coached by John Rankin, who handed starts to youngsters Fergus Owens, Sam Spence and Chris McGinn, while three trialists joined the squad, two of whom started.

Scott Martin scored Hamilton's opener in the first half (SNS Group)

Larne boss Niall Curneen brought a strong squad with him from Northern Ireland, featuring starts for ex-Airdrie and Motherwell goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson and former Motherwell and Partick Thistle midfielder Shea Gordon.

Larne started well and when Lee Bonis seized possession outside the box in the first minute, it eventually led to a chance for Gordon, but he pulled his shot wide of the left post, following some head tennis in the Accies box.

From a Larne corner in 11 minutes, Hamilton broke upfield through Ellis Brown, with Scott Martin taking over on the left, but his cut-back was snatched by Ferguson ahead of Trialist 1..

Accies opened the scoring in 16 minutes, and in some style, as Martin swivelled and drove the ball into the left corner from just inside the box, following good work by Owens and Spence at a Steve Lawson corner from the left.

Hamilton tried to double their lead with a neat move in 22 minutes, but Brown saw his shot smartly saved by Ferguson.

Larne's Leroy Millar was given a through-ball to chase in 36 minutes, but Ryan Fulton was off his line well to catch it before he could clip it past him.

Striker Andy Ryan scored Accies' second goal just over a minute into the second half (SNS Group)

It took sub Ryan just over a minute to get on the score-sheet in the second half, finishing off a good move down the left with a powerful, curling shot into the top left corner from just outside the box.

And Accies added a killer third in 64 minutes when a neat move was finished off well by Adam McGowan sliding in to net.

Larne tried to get back into the game and Fuad Sule tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the box, but it trundled wide of the left post in 72 minutes.

The visitors should have pulled a goal back 60 seconds later when Millar broke down the left and crossed for an unlisted forward, but he fired over the bar when it looked easier to score.

Hamilton sub Ryan One picked up a booking for a crude challenge on Larne's Ben Docherty, but Accies saw the game out comfortably enough.

HAMILTON (starting): Fulton, Want, Shiels, Lawson, Owens, Specne, Trialist 1, Martin, Trialist 2, Brown, McGinn.

Subs: Jamie Smith (GK), Trialist 3, Newbury O'Reilly, MacDonald, One, Mimnaugh, L. Spence, McGown, Ryan Winter.

LARNE (starting): Ferguson, Balmer, Kelly, Kearns, Randall, Millar, Docherty, Gordon, Bolger, Bonis, Cosgrove.

Subs: McIntyre (GK), Aretzis, Sule, Hutchinson, Scott, Sloan, Lusty, Greer, Hughes.

Referee: Ryan Kennedy.

Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.

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