’Well edge closer to surprise Europe slot

May 13 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

St Mirren 1 Motherwell 3

HALF of Scotland’s top flight will be involved in European football next season – with Motherwell the front-runners to secure the final Europa League berth available via the Fair Play League rankings.

The Steelmen suffered the anguish of missing out on a top-six spot last month at the final hurdle, losing 2-0 at home to St Mirren.

Their hopes of consecutive seasons in Europe and the chance to put right the disappointing UEFA Cup defeat to Nancy lay in tatters.

But last week UEFA intervened and granted Scotland - along with Norway and Denmark - an extra place in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.

How ironic therefore that Motherwell’s superb performance at the weekend against, yes you’ve guessed it, St Mirren, seems to have made the prospect of playing in European competition all the more likely.

An SPL delegate at each match this season scores teams in five categories which calculate where a club stands in our own Fair Play table.

They award marks out of 10 for positive play and marks out of five for respect towards opponents, match officials, team officials and behaviour of the crowd.

Red and yellow cards are also taken into consideration from the referee’s report.

The man who steered Motherwell to their famous Scottish Cup triumph in 1991, Tommy McLean, was the official delegate marking the scorecards at St Mirren Park.

One glance at the ’Well starting XI would surely also have given them pass marks in the ‘positive play’ category before a ball was kicked.

McGhee opted to field five attacking players in the form of Stephen Hughes, Jim O’Brien, Jamie Murphy, David Clarkson and Cillian Sheridan.

Out went Maros Klimpl, the no-nonsense midfielder who has picked up 10 yellow cards in 20 outings this term.

A positive formation doesn’t necessary make for positive play but on this occasion, on St Mirren’s superb new pitch, they played some of the most attractive football of the season.

Scotland under-21 starlet Jamie Murphy got things going for the Fir Parkers in 19 minutes.

The winger was afforded far too much space in the box and he headed the ball into the far corner of the net from a Steven Hammell delivery.

Motherwell then settled into a free-flowing passing rhythm for the next 50 minutes before relegation-threatened Saints finally realised the predicament they were in.

67 minutes into this contest, the Buddies were bottom of the SPL as things stood until Kevin Kyle’s leveller for Kilmarnock against Falkirk at Rugby Park.

But that was of no concern to Motherwell, who displayed the confidence of a side who had little to play for except pride,

In 32 minutes, a sublime move was finished off by David Clarkson from inside the six-yard box after neat work by Stephen Hughes and Cillian Sheridan.

The game was effectively over as a contest on the hour mark when Paul Quinn sent a teasing cross into the area from the right which found the head of Clarkson, who scored his second of the afternoon.

Substitute Stephen O’Donnell got on the scoresheet for St Mirren with just under 20 minutes to go, volleying in a Garry Brady cross from inside the box.

But by then McLean would surely have finished tallying up the marks for positive play.

In Motherwell’s case, eight or, from Tommy’s perspective, nine out of ten would have been a fair reflection on their performance.

High marks would also have been granted for the players’ respect towards their opponents (four out of five) but less so for respect towards the officials.

For all David Clarkson’s ability, he does seem to react incredulously to what appear to be marginal decisions given against his team.

And for one horrible moment it looked like he could have received his marching orders after a rash challenge on Hugh Murray. The striker was booked, despite his protestations, but thankfully it was the only yellow card of the match.

Three out of five for respect towards the officials would have been an accurate rating, pushing 3.5 on Tommy’s card.

The team officials (Mark McGhee, Scott Leitch and Colin Meldrum) displayed minimal dissent throughout the match, with Leitch actually explaining the offside rule to one supporter. Top marks!

And so to the fans.

They thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon out in Paisley and, possibly knowing what was at stake, surprisingly refrained from the need to remind the home support of their team’s plight.

Full marks once again and an altogether prosperous outing for the Steelmen, officials, players and fans alike as they edged ever closer towards that Fair Play European berth.

St Mirren: Howard, Ross (Haining 46), Potter, Cuthbert, Barron, Thomson, Murray, Dorman, McGinn (O'Donnell 62), Wyness (Brady 63), Mehmet.

Goal: O'Donnell 72.

Motherwell: Smith, Quinn, McLean, Reynolds, Hammell, Hughes, Lasley, Murphy (McGarry 73), O'Brien, Clarkson, Sheridan (McHugh 73).

Booked: Clarkson.

Goals: Murphy 18, Clarkson 32, 60.

Attendance: 4002.

Referee: B. Winter.