Defeat by Falkirk such a crying shame for Steelmen

Nov 19 2008 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

FALKIRK ............... 1 MOTHERWELL ...... 0

MOTHERWELL’S current season, which has been a bit like a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde scenario, continued at the weekend after the Fir Park side slipped to a disappointing defeat away to Falkirk.

Mark McGhee had urged his charges to back up their impressive performance during the week against Rangers.

However, on Saturday, it was one game too far for Motherwell with gaffer McGhee admitting most of his players were off their feet after the midweek heroics.

The result sees Motherwell drop to seventh in the SPL table, but even at this stage of the season it is too early to predict which half of the league the Steelmen will be competing in come next May.

Much of last year’s success was down to McGhee managing to keep his threadbare squad out of the treatment room for large parts of the season.

But playing two games in four days for a small squad is a tricky task with the possibility of freshening things up significantly not really an option at Motherwell without hindering the quality of the starting eleven.

But the ’Well continually punch above their weight and for that reason fans should know better than to deride the decision by McGhee to substitute an exhausted Keith Lasley, man of the match against Rangers, early in the second half against The Bairns.

Not that their gaffer was terribly concerned afterwards, saying: “As if I give a monkeys what they say.

“We’re trying to win a match. We are struggling to win so it was totally the right decision.

“Keith said he was tired and he was fantastic against Rangers in midweek.

“He just looked out on his feet.”

The Bairns have Michael Higdon to thank for securing the home side’s three points with his solitary first half strike the difference between two evenly matched sides.

Ten minutes before the interval, Falkirk won the ball back in their own half through Jackie McNamara and launched a terrific counter-attack.

They worked the ball up the field from McNamara to Scott Arfield, who flicked it first time for Graham Barrett to run on to. Barrett then whipped a wonderful cross-field ball on his first touch to Higdon, who chested the ball before blasting it past Smith into the bottom corner.

David Clarkson, who could well get a run out for Scotland in their glamour friendly with Argentina at Hampden tonight, should have given the visitors the lead on 11 minutes.

Lee Bullen failed to deal with a long ball into Falkirk’s box.

Clarkson reacted first and went to simply poke the ball into the net.

But the outcoming Scott Flinders did enough to put the forward off and the ball rolled inches wide.

Five minutes later, John Sutton will have felt he should have opened the scoring when he was presented with an excellent chance.

Again, a simple long ball was not cleared and Darren Barr failed tocontrol the ball, allowing it to fall to the former St Mirren striker’s left foot. But his long-range effort went wide of the right-hand post.

Earlier, Higdon had linked up well with Steve Lovell for the home side giving Higdon the opportunity to open the scoring.

But his shot was wide of the target.

Nevertheless, he made no mistake on 35 minutes with his superb strike that gave his side a half-time lead they would never surrender.

Motherwell had the majority of the possession during the second half but failed to create any chances that their play should have merited.

Paul Quinn and Marc Fitzpatrick had long range efforts that failed to trouble Flinders in Falkirk’s goal.

The on-loan keeper had to look lively when substitute Chris Porter bent a sidefoot effort towards the corner only to see Flinders parry it away. Higdon and Barrett then went close for the home side but it mattered little for John Hughes’ team as they clinched the three points to exact revenge on the Fir Parkers after their success against Falkirk earlier in the season.

Falkirk: Flinders, McNamara, Holden (Mitchell 80), Barr, Bullen, McBride, Arfield, O'Brien, Barrett (Mark Stewart 80), Higdon, Lovell. Subs Not Used: Olejnik, Cregg, Riera, Lynch, Staunton.

Goals: Higdon 37.

Motherwell: Smith, Quinn, Hammell, Reynolds, Malcolm, Lasley (Porter 56), Hughes, Fitzpatrick, McGarry (Murphy 66), Clarkson (Darren Smith 80), Sutton. Subs Not Used: Nielsen, Klimpl, O'Brien, Connolly.

Attendance: 5279