Steven MacLean has waited a while to add to his collection of match balls in his bar at home, last netting a senior hat-trick for Sheffield Wednesday against Doncaster Rovers in December 2004.
He’ll have to find space now, though, beside the four others that have been gathering dust after his treble helped put Hamilton to the sword in emphatic style.
“It’s brilliant to get a hat-trick, scoring goals is always good, but it’s even better to win games,” he said. “Hopefully, I can keep it going. I’ve got a room with a pool table and a bar with my shirts up, so I’ll maybe try to find a wee space for the ball!”
The hosts opened the floodgates on 23 minutes, as Lucas misjudged a ball up the channel allowing MacLean down the right. He picked out the onrushing Liam Craig and the substitute found the top corner from 12 yards despite Michael McGovern getting a hand to the ball.
Two minutes later, a cross into the box was contested by Darian MacKinnon and Craig, and Andrew Dallas, the referee, adjudged MacKinnon to have handled. MacLean fired the spot-kick home emphatically to quickly double Saints’ advantage.
The home side moved three ahead in the 41st minute. David Wotherspoon set Michael O’Halloran free up a virtually vacant right flank, and his low cross picked out MacLean, who tapped home from within the six-yard box.
St Johnstone rubbed further salt into Hamilton’s wounds as they got their fourth after 54 minutes. Again the Accies defence were posted missing as Brian Easton floated a cross over that Cummins knocked down towards goal, allowing MacLean to slide in and poach his hat-trick.
Hamilton got a goal back on 67 minutes as Crawford’s corner was cleared back to him and he picked out Lucas at the back post, the big defender salvaging something from a miserable day by thumping a header past Alan Mannus.
The game may have worked out very differently though had Dallas not waved away what looked to be a stonewall penalty after just four minutes for Easton’s challenge on Accies forward Carlton Morris.
If given, it would almost certainly have resulted in a red card for the Saints full-back, but Hamilton manager Martin Canning wasn’t looking for excuses.
“It’s one of those things in football where you get some and you don’t get some, and it’s on days like this that it’s difficult. We did well to keep going.”
St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright said that the penalty flashpoint should never have happened, as his side should have had a free-kick in the build-up.
“It was a blatant foul on Michael O’Halloran and the situation should never have arisen, he stated. “We won 4-1 and we deserved it. I would have liked to have got a clean sheet, but any time you score four goals you’re happy.”
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