Saturday’s defeat at the hands of Hamilton was a shattering disappointment. Motherwell lost to a team that will struggle to survive and the early indication is that we will join them in dogfight in the lower reaches.
The manager was able to field an eleven noticeably stronger than the patched team that lost by three at Easter Road. The addition of Aldred and the return of suspension free Campbell offered strength and resistance while the inclusion of Bigirimana added the hope of some passes reaching friendly shirts. We were some way from full strength with Bowman and Dunne still injured but surely there was enough talent on the perfect Fir Park surface to take care of Accies?
The Bois before the match
The pattern was clear almost immediately. Motherwell pushed forward at every opportunity by direct means with occasional wide play from Cadden on the right. The aim was to search out Main or Sammon in the air and to make the best of what followed. Hamilton were content to match our strikers with their defence and to clear their lines.
By the break we were at stalemate and short of variety in attack. We started the second half well and pushed the defenders deep. There were a few half chances made as the ball flew about the Hamilton area but no breakthrough. The appearance of Frear and Johnson would surely make a difference? Not so.
After losing the goal midway through the second half there remained plenty of time for a recovery but the visitors gained a measure of self belief and hope of an equaliser drained. In the end we were fortunate not to lose a second.
Stephen Robinson maintained that there were “lots of good aspects of our play” and that the players’ efforts could not be questioned. But there was an admission that “we lacked a bit of quality in the final third”. No argument there.
Maybe a League Cup win at Livingston will lift the spirits before we host Rangers in a fortnight. Fingers crossed.