MOTHERWELL remain on course for third place in the SPL, but the point here, according to Mark McGhee, means they still have to win 13 more to be sure. He also agreed that this scoreless draw against Falkirk could, in the circumstances, be considered in a positive light.
In testing conditions – McGhee said later that, having been "unable to train properly for weeks" on account of the weather, "summer football is definitely something we should think about" – his Motherwell side started at lightning speed against
lumbering opponents and were unlucky not to be well ahead by half time, but equally fortunate to hold on for a point in the end.
Falkirk are obviously diesel-powered. It took John Hughes' side an hour to get going, but when they did, they were flying.
At the start of the game, the gale blowing across the park created havoc, mainly in the Falkirk box. It was awkward, but Falkirk's defence was also culpable – they were all over the place.
McGhee claimed later that his side had "lacked a cutting edge", and indeed, some of their best chances came directly from corners, to a comical extent. Such was the strength of the wind that Ross McCormack's corners, taken at the Forth end of the ground, appeared to be hit in the direction of Bathgate, only to curl dangerously back towards goal.
Otherwise, there were two good first-half chances for Motherwell. The first, after 26 minutes, saw McCormack scamper after a long clearance. It bounced deep in the Falkirk half, by which point Robert Olejnik, the Falkirk goalkeeper, had decided to come for it. It drew him well outside his box, but McCormack's pace meant he got there first, and managed to get the slightest touch to knock it past him. With defenders racing back, a direct shot wasn't on, but McCormack spotted Keith Lasley arriving in the middle. His chipped pass was intercepted by Scott Arfield.
The next one, just before half time, saw Stephen Hughes cross to Chris Porter, who laid it down to the feet of McCormack. The prolific striker would usually have done better than to blast it over the bar from six yards.
The wind abated for the second half, reducing from gale to stiff breeze. And Falkirk were transformed, with Pedro Moutinho, just a minute after the re-start, unleashing a powerful shot from just outside the box, which Graeme Smith did well to save.
Moutinho again showed skill on 63 minutes to create a shooting opportunity, again well smothered by Smith, though he was substituted soon after. He wasn't happy about that, judging by the way he stormed down the tunnel. Which meant he didn't see his side at their best in the closing stages, when they bombarded the Motherwell goal.
The best chance fell to Carl Finnigan in the closing minutes, but his powerful header produced another fantastic save from Smith, whose performance was described as "excellent" by his manager. Smith said he was just "glad to be playing on grass again", after the ongoing problems with the Fir Park pitch. "If I don't see the Fir Park pitch again this season I'll be grateful," he added.
Falkirk: Olejnik; Aafjes, Barr, Milne, Scobbie; Cregg, McBride, Arfield; Finnigan, Barrett, Moutinho (Clarke 72)
Motherwell: Smith; Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds, Hammell; Hughes, Lasley, Fitzpatrick; Clarkson (Smith 85), Porter, McCormack
Referee: C Thomson
The full article contains 578 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
