Malcolm unleashes a rocket to sink Thistle

Oct 29 2008 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

HE has been threatening to do this for a while but it was worth the wait.

Bob Malcolm’s brilliant free-kick on Saturday was the difference between the sides at a windswept Tulloch Caledonian Stadium that gave the Fir Parkers their fourth successive victory over the Highlanders.

His 25-yard effort seven minutes from time completed an unlikely comeback win for Motherwell as their midweek training exploits paid off.

Boss Mark McGhee deliberately had his first-team squad out training in the wettest and most blustery conditions in order to prepare them for Saturday's encounter.

“We've trained with these conditions in mind, so for us playing in it was not an issue," McGhee said.

“I wanted to prepare the players properly as I didn't want them going out there and thinking this is cold and it's windy.

“We had a seven-a-side game on Tuesday where the forfeit for missing a chance was that the player in question had to take off an item of clothing.

“This helped to focus their minds a little bit and meant conditions at Inverness couldn't be used as an excuse.”

Adam Rooney had given the home side the lead two minutes into the second half with a well composed finish.

But Chris Porter combined well with John Sutton on 69 minutes for the equaliser before Malcolm made it three wins out of four for the Steelmen.

This was never going to be a pretty affair with the blustery conditions making attractive football hard to come by.

Caley were the first to try and use the conditions in their favour when striker Dougie Imrie tried his luck from outside the box which the goalkeeper struggled to grasp at the second attempt.

The home side also had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Euan Norris when David Clarkson appeared to handle to ball in the area.

Craig Brewster’s side were carving out the best opportunities with a Rooney header and a Imrie shot testing Smith.

Garry Wood also made the visiting keeper work with a drive from 15 yards before Don Cowie cracked an effort off the bar 15 minutes before the break.

Despite Caley's efforts it was Motherwell who almost grabbed the lead on the stroke of half time after Steven McGarry hit a superb volley that was turned round the post by Michael Fraser.

However just two minutes into the second half Caley got the opener.

Don Cowie found Rooney in space and the striker evaded the efforts of Mark Reynolds to lash an 18-yard effort low into the net.

McGhee admitted afterwards that he felt Rooney's goal had finished off his side.

But the Lanarkshire side upped the tempo and took the game to their hosts.

Jim O’Brien and Darren Smith came on for Jamie Murphy and Clarkson and the switch paid rich dividends for McGhee.

Steve Hammell kept Motherwell in the game with an excellent goalline clearance from Grant Munro and this proved decisive as moments later an excellent one-two between Sutton and Porter saw the latter drill the ball past Fraser for the equaliser.

The Lanarkshire men looked the more threatening and got the winning goal when Russell Duncan was deemed to have felled Jim O’Brien 25 yards out. That allowed Malcolm to step up and blast home the winner, much to the delight of the small but vocal away support.

The result saw Motherwell jump two places into seventh place, just three points behind third-placed Kilmarnock with a tasty derby clash with bottom club Hamilton up next.

Inverness CT: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, Duff, Hastings, Imrie, Black (McBain 78), Cowie, Duncan (Barrowman 89), Rooney (Vigurs 78), Wood.

Subs Not Used: Esson, Djebi-Zadi, Proctor, Wilson.

Goal: Rooney 47.

Motherwell: G Smith, Lasley, Reynolds, Malcolm, Hammell, Clarkson (Darren Smith 64), Hughes, McGarry (Fitzpatrick 77), Murphy (O'Brien 64), Porter, Sutton.

Subs Not Used: Nielsen, Connolly, McHugh, Page.

Booked: Malcolm.

Goals: Porter 69, Malcolm 83.

Att: 3,110.