Alan Cochrane @ Fir Park
The teams ran out to the loudspeakers playing the "Green, green grass of home", and Fir Park looked a picture, something we haven't been able to say for a long, long time. Motherwell were quick to make use of it as their young side zipped the ball about on the ground, and they got their reward inside quarter of an hour. Jim O'Brien did well on the left, cut inside Steven Old before squaring to John Sutton, who in turn cut back on Frazer Wright before shooting inside Cameron Bell's left hand post.
The game became end to end, but while Killie did their share of attacking, Motherwell's young guns looked quicker and more dangerous, and more likely to add to their lead than to lose it. On the stroke of half time they did just that when Steven Old tripped Jim O'Brien, who had given the right back a torrid time from the first whistle, as he drove into the box. Ross Forbes took the spot kick and converted comfortably.
Killie had done little to trouble John Ruddy in the Motherwell goal, as the defence marshalled by Stephen Craigan gave very little away. Hamill did have a shot which went wide after a fine pass from Bryson, but in the main, the home defence were coping pretty well with both Kyle and Sammon, and snuffing out any attempts by Taouil to loose the shackles.
It was no surprise when Old stayed in the dressing room after the break, with Danny Invincibile taking his place, and within 3 minutes Invincibile saw a toe-poke trickle just wide of the post. With Hamill at right back and Invincibile forward, Killie looked better balanced than they had been in the first half, O'Brien found it harder to wreak havoc, and there was a lot more traffic towards John Ruddy. A great chance came Kilmarnock's way when a perfect cross went to exactly the man you would want it to, but Kevin Kyle headed over, and we immediately feared the worst. Those fears were soon justified when all the good work was undone with 20 minutes left. Killie failed to clear properly from a corner, and a Shaun Hutchinson volley fairly fizzed past Bell to put Motherwell three ahead.
That put Motherwell's tails right up, and Frazer Wright had to hoof a Forbes free kick off the line as he cheekily squirted one in from a tight angle. Before the end, Connor Sammon had a shot saved by Ruddy, and then a header got the same treatment, but Motherwell were well in control. At the death Killie got a consolation goal when Sammon fired a long cross from the left, Hamill controlled it, and lobbed Ruddy from inside the six yard box, but Hamilton still had time to come forward and Bell was relieved to see substitute Jennings shot come back off the bar just before Crawford Allan blew for time.
As you would expect, Jim Jefferies was not best pleased. The team that had played so well last week, with only the one enforced change of Garry Hay, just didn't get to grips with Motherwell, particularly in the first half. He would have been delighted to go in at the break only one behind, but that 44th minute penalty gave us a mountain to climb. He had stressed the importance of getting the first goal in the second half, but when Kyle missed, and Motherwell got a third, the game was over. Motherwell deserved to win.
Motherwell: Ruddy, Reynolds, Craigan, Coke, Sutton, Murphy (Humphrey), O'Brien (Slane), Hateley (Jennings), Forbes, Hutchinson, Saunders
Kilmarnock: Bell, Clancy, Wright, Ford, Bryson, Taouil, Skelton, Old (Invincibile), Kyle, Sammon, Hamill
Referee: Crawford Allan
