Substitute Chris Maguire's spectacular second-half volley sealed a comfortable victory for Aberdeen at Hamilton in the SPL.
Super-sub gets on scoresheet in win over Hamilton
Substitute Chris Maguire's spectacular second-half volley sealed a comfortable victory for Aberdeen at Hamilton in the Scottish Premier League.
The 20-year-old connected sweetly with a cross from opening scorer Charlie Mulgrew to secure the three points with half an hour of the game remaining.
Mulgrew had put the Pittodrie side in front with a first-half free-kick.
The tricky winger then fired in another set-piece five minutes later for Andrew Considine to double the lead at the interval.
Accies hit the post just before half-time and rallied briefly at the start of the second half, but otherwise never troubled their opponents.
Hamilton manager Billy Reid handed debuts to two more players as he made three changes to his side.
Marco Paixao took his place in the team alongside twin brother Flavio, who made his bow at Kilmarnock a week earlier, and was joined upfront by teenage debutant Kyle Wilkie.
Martin Canning returned from suspension while Marvin Andrews and Derek Lyle dropped to the bench alongside new arrival Leon Knight.
Four changes
Visiting manager Mark McGhee made four changes to his team as they, like the hosts, sought to register their first points after opening-day defeats.
Youngsters Jonathan Crawford and Fraser Fyvie were handed starts while Considine and Darren Mackie were promoted from the bench. Zander Diamond and Gary McDonald both failed to recover in time from knocks and Stuart Duff and goalscorer Maguire were both among the substitutes.
Lee Miller tested home goalkeeper Tomas Cerny in the first minute with a turn and shot from Sone Aluko's pass, but Cerny collected. Mackie then sent a shot wide of the left-hand post.
Mulgrew drilled a shot which had to be smothered at the left-hand post, and Aluko's acute-angled shot from the left was touched onto the roof of the net.
Wilkie had Hamilton's first effort with a free-kick from the left touchline, but he curled it straight into Jamie Langfield's arms.
Flavio Paixao went into the book and conceded a free-kick just outside the box when he tracked back to tackle Richard Foster. Miller's effort was blocked by the five-man wall.
Curling freekick
Mulgrew was more successful on 23 minutes, however, curling a 25-yard freekick from just outside the box in at the near post.
Aberdeen doubled their lead five minutes later with a goal stemming from another set-piece. Mulgrew floated the freekick across goal and Considine was on hand at the far post to slot the ball home from close range.
Mackie could even have added a third goal before half-time when the ball was whipped across the face of goal, but Cerny managed to gather it off his toes.
However, Hamilton were unfortunate not to score from their first serious effort on goal two minutes before the break.
Wilkie fired in a free-kick from the left wing which hit the opposite post - Marco Paixao responded instantly to the rebound but his effort was cleared off the line by Considine.
Hamilton made two half-time changes, replacing Wilkie and Kissock with David Louhoungou and Knight respectively.
Straight from kick-off, Flavio Paixao bore down on goal and was forced wide. He laid it off to James Wesolowski who set up Simon Mensing for a shot which Aberdeen scrambled to block.
Knight had his first touch of the ball with a diving header which went wide of the left-hand post.
However, Aberdeen made it 3-0 in real style just after the hour after a weaving run into the box by Aluko and, from Mulgrew's cross, substitute Maguire unleashed a sweet volley from the six yard box.
Aluko came agonisingly close to making it four for the visitors with a drilled effort which whistled narrowly wide of the right-hand post, and a Mulgrew drive from Aluko's pass met the same fate.
Langfield had to bat a free-kick from Derek Lyle over the top of his goal with little over 10 minutes to go, but Accies were unable to cash in on the free header from Luis Rubiales' corner.
Untroubled Aberdeen saw out the closing stages with ease to claim the victory and leave the hosts still searching for their first goal and points of the new campaign.
