Motherwell blew it. St Mirren came from behind to win 2-1 at Fir Park and all the credit is theirs.
We dominated the first half, took the lead with an early penalty and camped in front of the South Stand. We piled in ten corners before the break but could not score the crucial second and paid the price.
It was clear within the first couple of minutes in the second period that the momentum was with the visitors and Motherwell were unable to resist.
The only ray of hope was the welcome sight of David Turnbull back in first team action. He played for the final twenty minutes and offers some hope that we may escape the current rut in a week or two.
Jermaine Hylton replaced the suspended Chris Long as the visitors kicked off. There followed a fairly frantic first five minutes before Motherwell took control. Rolando Aarons blasted high with the first chance but the speedy winger was the architect of the opening goal in the twelfth minute.
A St Mirren attack broke down and Hylton released Aarons from the halfway line. The direct run ended when Famewo upended our man inside the box. Liam Donnelly dispatched the penalty to Hladky’s left.
It seemed inevitable that we would score a second we were unable to get the ball over the line. The visitors would be relieved to reach the dressing room only one down.
The second period was the reverse of the first. We were on the back foot unable to make any meaningful progress to the Cooper end. Hladky had only one save to make when Tony Watt got a header on target from Turnbull’s chipped cross.
The equaliser came five minutes after the restart when Obika won the scrum to poke over from close range.
Home nerves took hold and Jim Goodwin’s players sensed a chance to take all three points. The winner came late on following a break. Tony Watt had the ball at his feet eight yards out but his back was to goal. He was unable to turn aand shoot and be ball was swept to the other end. A cross found Durmus and he launched the ball beyond Mark Gillespie.
Five added minutes were snuffed out and the game was lost. There can be no complaints from Motherwell, we blew it.
Motherwell 1 St Mirren 2
Attendance 3,636 (601)
Team: Gillespie, Tait, Gallagher, Hartley, Aarons, Donnelly, Campbell (Turnbull 70), Polworth, O’Hara (MacIver 55), Watt, Hylton (Seedorf 83)
Tuesday 25 February 2020