Motherwell 2 - 1 Aberdeen - Well worth the win and a Euro chance

THIS victory, thoroughly merited, means that, if Hibernian lose at Parkhead this afternoon, then Mark McGhee's team will have qualified for Europe for the first time since 1995.

In an enthralling encounter, the Lanarkshire outfit outplayed their opponents from start to finish and sent their supporters into ecstasy.

Motherwell owner John Boyle's decision to reduce admission prices to just £5 certainly paid off as Fir Park boasted an attendance which looked to be more than double the 5,236 who turned up for the meeting between the clubs here in December, although the official figure was a barely credible 8,574.

The late Phil O'Donnell pulled the strings as the Dons were taken apart on that winter's afternoon and the club captain's death just two weeks later cast a huge shadow over a season which has seen the Lanarkshire club embrace both tragedy and triumph.

Manager Mark McGhee was aware that the outcome of this fixture could possibly define their campaign and, as he has since his arrival last summer, he set out his team to go for it.

McGhee's success in his first managerial season in Scotland has seen his stock rise, helping Motherwell punch above their weight with a skeleton staff, made more threadbare by defender Paul Quinn fracturing his jaw in a nightclub assault.

"We are left with a squad of 15 outfield players and two goalkeepers," he said. "I have heard other managers bleating about how small their squad is: they should get on with it."

His players did exactly that and might have taken the lead in the 12th minute. David Clarkson played a one-two with strike partner Chris Porter before sending a rising drive just over Jamie Langfield's crossbar from eight yards.

It was a match Aberdeen needed to win to maintain any hope of qualifying for Europe next season and Graeme Smith was also called into action early on, saving bravely at the feet of Josh Walker.

Aberdeen lost central defender Andrew Considine to injury after only 16 minutes but his replacement, the worryingly inconsistent Dave Bus, provided a deft intervention shortly afterwards to nick a Stephen Hughes cross away from the lurking Porter.

Full-back Steven Hammell forced a fine fingertip save from Langfield with a dipping free-kick from 20 yards

and while the home side were undoubtedly on top there was an anxiety evident in the play of both teams and the impatience of the home support didn't help.

Aberdeen, requiring a victory to keep their Continental ambitions alive, were surprisingly unambitious throughout the opening 45 minutes, which largely consisted of them defending in numbers as Motherwell surged forward at every opportunity. One could only assume that Jimmy Calderwood was adopting a rope-a-dope approach: if so, Motherwell passed the dope test.

Darren Smith came on for Marc Fitzpatrick at the interval as McGhee attempted to give his side more width and pace and the switch paid off in the 61st minute.

Porter nodded down a Hughes cross for the substitute and, although his first attempt was blocked, Smith had the presence of mind to poke home the rebound. He celebrated as though he had scored in a European final and earned the first yellow card of the encounter for removing his shirt.

Calderwood made a telling change of his own, replacing the ineffective Walker with Sone Aluko, a move which produced jeers from the travelling support. However, they were more favourably disposed towards the switch when the loan signing from Birmingham brought them level midway through the second half.

Darren Mackie's cross should have been meat and drink for Brian McLean but the defender completely misjudged the flight of the ball and Aluko's crisp, left-foot volley flew past Smith.

It was Aberdeen's first attempt on goal and it seemed to give them a taste for adventure. Smith was more pro-active in the 72nd minute when he conjured up an acrobatic save, diving to his right to beat out Barry Nicholson's shot from another Mackie cross.

Television replays proved that the ball had crossed the line but, in truth, Aberdeen did not deserve to take anything from the game.

Motherwell went ahead for the second and last time in the 81st minute. Richard Foster was guilty of conceding possession to McLean, who supplied Clarkson. He in turn released Hughes. With Scott Severin, the only defender in the vicinity, forced to go towards the midfielder it meant that the outstanding Hughes was able to square the ball for the unmarked Porter to left-foot home from 12 yards.

There was still time for one last heart-stopping moment, a free-kick deep into stoppage time from Chris Maguire which came back off Smith's right-hand post, struck Mark Reynolds and rolled benignly into the goalkeeper's arms.

As Sir Alex Ferguson would say: "Football? Bloody hell!"