Setting aside the unfortunate happenings in the floodlight pylon, the club is probably happy that over 7,000 souls turned up on a foul winter's night to watch a game at Fir Park. The breakdown suggests at around 1,500 occupied the South Stand meaning over 5,500 were backing Motherwell. That might have been enough to declare that the experiment was a success.
On the other hand there was more to this match than a change of kick off time. The club put a huge effort into the publicity machine for this occasion. Prices were slashed and season ticket holders had the option of a free ticket. There were freebies on offer (balloons, fruit and the rest) together with media interviews and the local press, all helped to raise awareness of the game.
Floodlight failure
The Edinburgh contingent helped to raise the atmosphere (though they were not a patch on the East Stand singing section!) and it was good to see the South Stand with a decent crowd. The effect of the £10/£5 price at the gate cannot be underestimated and it will be evident when the turnstiles are opened in a fortnight when St Mirren visit.
Fans from Paisley will be charged £22/£15 for the same seats that were on offer for £10/£5 on Friday and the effect on attendance will be there for all to see. It is inevitable that the club will suffer a loss of income when the take from the gate is reduced but if we are to revive attendances some pain will have to be endure before the rewards are reaped.
Others in the SPL will have noted the figures from Motherwell's Friday game and they are now faced with a choice. The tide will not turn unless all our clubs recognise that the game is overpriced and that means that they have to take the brave step of cutting prices. If that means that the costs have to be borne by reducing the playing staff or by keeping other costs down, so be it.
The game is going nowhere until we get the numbers up.