IN addition to the standard Perthshire chill and rain, there was a sense of nostalgia in the air at McDiarmid Park.
Steven MacLean rolled back the years to a time when hat-tricks were commonplace for intelligent strikers.
During his most prolific stint south of the border in 2003, he enjoyed a run of three trebles in as many months for Scunthorpe United before claiming another match ball a year later, while on the books of Sheffield Wednesday.
That showing for the Hillsborough side was the last time he scored three goals in a single match prior to Saturday’s man of the match showing against Hamilton Academical.
Similarly, those watching Liam Craig sweep the ball into the net from 18 yards after latching onto a MacLean cut-back could be forgiven for thinking they had slipped into a time warp.
The late run into the box. The nose for goal. The fine finish. It was reminiscent of the Craig who scored 41 times for the club between 2007 and 2013 – but was seldom seen at Hibernian.
“I have probably built my career on scoring from that sort of area,” said Craig. “We have players like Michael O’Halloran, Steven MacLean, Graham Cummins and David Wotherspoon – they are going to create chances for you.
“It was special getting that first goal. I was a little disappointed that it has taken seven games but I think to come off the bench like that and to score the goal early doors gives me confidence.
“I have been unhappy with how I have played so far but it is all about proving a point now and hopefully I did that when I came on.
“I was told to get sharper by the manager after the Celtic game.
“He wasn’t having a go at me, it was more a case of him telling me what I needed to do and I have worked hard over the last fortnight. I want to play every week. If I keep scoring goals, hopefully I can stay in the team.”
It could have been a very different story if Hamilton had been awarded an early penalty when Brian Easton fouled Carlton Morris in the box.
Referee Andrew Dallas, developing something of an unhappy penchant for hitting the headlines of late, was the only man in the stadium who did not think a spot-kick was in order.
Accies misery was compounded on 22 minutes when MacLean illustrated his vision and quality to tee up Craig on the edge of the box to fizz a right-footed drive beyond Michael McGovern, before finding the net himself twice before the break and effectively ending the match as a contest.
“Macca has done that for years,” continued Craig. “People are always asking ‘who is going to step into Stevie May’s shoes?’.
“I am not comparing Macca to Stevie, but if we can get someone that can get double figures and one or two midfielders can get close to that as well, we can have a good season.”
Hamilton, searching for positives after an unexpected humbling, will derive some solace from the way they responded to falling four goals behind.
They manfully found a foothold in the contest and were rewarded when Lucas Tagliapietra rose highest to head an Ali Crawford home.
Returning to winning ways will be an onerous task for Accies as they face league leaders Aberdeen next, however Latvian defender Antons Kurakins insists nothing is impossible.
“We are playing a team that are top of the league but we have to bounce back,” he said. “I don’t think [defeat] will affect our confidence going up to Pittodrie. We will just listen to our gaffer, stick to our plan and hopefully we can play well and get a result.”
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