That injected a bit of life into the home side and four minutes later they were inches away from an equaliser.īarry Maguire and Morris kept possession at the edge of the Saints’ box and when the ball bobbled to Connor Shields, he fired a speculative shot past Remi Matthews only to watch it bonce back off the ‘keeper’s right hand post. Mugabi and Bair rose at the edge of the box and as the ball drifted behind them, former ‘Well goal scoring hero Murphy latched onto the ball before driving his shot low across the diving Kelly and inside the ‘keeper’s far post. Motherwell failed to heed that warning and three minutes later they fell behind.
After conceding possession at the edge of the box the ‘Well defenders could only watch as Theo Bair drove the ball straight at Liam Kelly. The game needed a spark and it almost came from Saints after 25 minutes. Goss was next to try his luck after 16 minutes, but after being set up by Josh Morris 25 yards from goal, the left sided midfielder dragged his shot wide of target.Ĭlumsy tackles and careless passing from both sides prevented either from gaining a hold on the game. Kevin van Veen elected to go for goal but his curling shot soared over the crossbar.
In a positive start from the Steelmen, Sean Goss won a free kick wide of the box. Hammell made two changes, Bevis Mugabi coming in for the suspended Ricki Lamie and Stephen O’Donnell filling Jake Carroll’s spot at left back. On a pristine Fir Park pitch, the home fans seemed undaunted by the last performance against Sligo Rovers as they gave the players a rapturous welcome. Until the final minutes the Perth side clung on to Murphy’s goal with some solid defending and a slice of luck to keep ‘Well at bay. Ultimately, despite a stirring second half, the the Fir Park men paid the penalty for a lackluster first forty five minutes. Stephen O’Donnell’s goal at the start of an additional six minutes cancelled out Jamie Murphy’s first half opener and provide the Steelmen with a deserved share of the points. Stevie Hammell’s return to the Motherwell dugout as interim manager was a disappointing one, as St Johnstone nicked all three points with a late Stevie May winner. List of Motherwell FC’s Scotland internationals.