'Well worth pitching in and hoping for better next season

May 27 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

NO sooner had the final whistle been blown on season 2008/09, work was already beginning on and off the park at Motherwell as the club gear up for what could be a hectic but fascinating off season.

Much of this term will be remembered for the appalling state of the Fir Park pitch, a source of deep embarrassment to the Steelmen hierarchy.

Less than 24 hours after their disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Kilmarnock, work had already begun on redeveloping the turf with groundsman Ian Wilson getting down to business at 6am on Sunday.

After a 12-hour shift the whole of the top surface had been removed with phase one aimed at levelling out the pitch or at least making it as flat as possible.

McGhee’s efforts at trying to get a team on the park capable of playing an attractive brand of football was always going to be hindered by the state of their home park.

But on Saturday that didn’t prevent Kilmarnock from scoring one of the best goals seen at Fir Park in a long time to give them all three points and light up what was your typical end-of-season kickabout.

In David Fernandez and Moroccan Mehdi Taouil, Kilmarnock have two players with the skill and flair that rarely gets you far in the 100mph huff and puff that is Scottish football.

But when they combined to deliver a knockout blow in the final minute of this match it was a goal that would have graced any stage.

Put another way, if Messi and Henry or Ronaldo and Rooney combine to such devastating effect in tonight’s Champions League final – it will go down in world footballing folklore.

Taouil began the move in the near side touch line flicking a delightful ball down the line to Fernandez.

The Spaniard teased the Motherwell defenders before his cute back-heeler found its way back to Taouil who then baffled two defenders with a couple of step-overs.

From a tight angle he then beat on-loan Birmingham keeper Artur Krysiak at his near post to score the winner.

In the 27th minute the same player had set up Danny Invincibile for the game’s opening goal with a left-footed diagonal pass that gave the Aussie striker time and space to thrash the ball past Krysiak.

Motherwell rarely threatened to score an equaliser before David Clarkson’s persistence on the right touchline forced a mistake from Tim Clancy on 80 minutes.

The forward drove towards the by-line and his cutback found defender Brian McLean who side-footed the ball past Killie stopper Bell.

Of greater significance to the Fir Park faithful on the day was the behaviour of the home players as they looked to secure a European place via the Fair Play League.

And despite Paul Quinn being booked with 15 minutes of the contest remaining, the fact their nearest challengers St Mirren matched their one yellow card should mean a second successive season of European football for Motherwell is now guaranteed.

Who will be in claret and amber colours t on the park is still not known and it looks like a new man will be controlling affairs from the dugout.

Out-of-contract pair Graeme Smith and playmaker Stephen Hughes were both left to warm the bench against Kilmarnock and now look to have played their last game for the club.

Robert Malcolm will leave the club in the summer and there are now fears popular midfielder Maros Klimpl is set to move on along with on-loan striker Cillian Sheridan

With the speculation now rife that Mark McGhee will end his two-year stint in charge at Motherwell and the club set to take to the European stage in just five weeks’ time, chairman John Boyle may have to put any summer holiday plans on hold meantime.

Motherwell: Krysiak, Quinn, Craigan, McLean, Hammell, Klimpl (Malcolm 48), O'Brien, Hughes, Clarkson, Sheridan, Sutton (Murphy 62), Malcolm (McGarry 84).

Subs not used: Graeme Smith, Darren Smith, Meechan, Hutchinson.

Booked: Quinn.

Goals: McLean 80.

Attendance: 4186.

Referee: S. Nicholls.

Motherwell........ 1 Kilmarnock........... 2