MX23RW : Sunday, December 15 05:48:52| >> :600:3882645:3882645:

Brian Rice hails strike partners George Oakley, Marios Ogkmpoe

Brian Rice hails strike partners George Oakley, Marios Ogkmpoe
© Reuters
The pair played an essential part in holding Hearts to a draw.

Hamilton manager Brian Rice hailed the performances of strike partners George Oakley and Marios Ogkmpoe in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Hearts.

Oakley grabbed a brace to take his tally for the season to three, while Ogkmpoe also put in a tireless shift to cause the hosts problems.

Hearts manager Craig Levein even admitted after the game that his team's defensive showing "was not good enough".

Although delighted with his side's collective display, Rice admits his forwards set the tone from the front.

He said: "I like to play two up and I think it causes problems. It's a real difficult shift for one player to be up there on his own but sometimes personnel dictates that.

"I've got two lads up there who are big, physical and strong and the two of them can run.

"We can see that George can score goals and Mario had chances as well against Hearts.

"It gives the rest of the lads confidence knowing if they can get the ball up to them that we have the lads up there who are prepared to put the work in to try and keep it."

Sean Clare gave Hearts the lead after 20 minutes with a close-range finish before Oakley took advantage of defensive indecision five minutes after the restart to poke the ball past goalkeeper Colin Doyle.

Hearts captain Christophe Berra headed the home side back in front in the 58th minute but Oakley ensured Accies left with a share of the spoils with his strike from 16 yards in the 73rd minute.

The draw extends Hearts' winless Premiership run to eleven matches and manager Levein faced chants to step down from angry supporters.

Hearts handed a debut to on-loan Manchester City playmaker Ryo Meshino from the bench, while Steven Naismith had to settle for a cameo role after suffering a slight setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

However, Levein insists the former Everton and Kilmarnock player will still link up with the Scotland squad for the forthcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Russia and Belgium.

He said: "He came in on Saturday morning and said his hammy felt tight and a bit sore.

"He wasn't confident he could play 90 minutes. He thought the problem would be tiredness in that the longer he played the more likely he would make it worse.

"I don't think he injured it but I think he's OK to go away with Scotland, although I don't think he's capable of playing 90 minutes."

ID:370066: cacheID:370066:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3937:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Steven Naismith in action for Hearts on October 28, 2018
Read Next:
Steven Naismith set for Hearts return
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Chiefs
@
Browns
6pm
Ravens
@
Giants
6pm
Jets
@
Jags
6pm
Cowboys
@
Panthers
6pm
Washington
@
Saints
6pm
Dolphins
@
Texans
6pm
Bengals
@
Titans
9.25pm
Colts
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Patriots
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Buccaneers
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Steelers
@
Eagles
9.25pm
Bills
@
Lions
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1FalkirkFalkirk17122333141938
2Livingston1696121101133
3Ayr UnitedAyr1794428171131
4Partick ThistlePartick167541811726
5Queen's ParkQueen's Park177461918125
6Hamilton AcademicalHamilton165382329-618
7Raith Rovers165381521-618
8Greenock MortonMorton163761321-816
9Dunfermline AthleticDunfermline1743101420-615
10AirdrieoniansAirdrieonians161312831-236


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!