Last season, lest anyone forgets, Motherwell had second place secured with room to spare. This time we'll need to beat Aberdeen at their own ground to finish best of the rest. League honours have been evenly shared so far this season and no home team has won. Aberdeen won the game at Fir Park in August before a breathtaking break resulted in Ainsworth winning the return on Boxing Day. That win allowed Motherwell to reclaim second place. The visitors robbed us of a win at Fir Park on Burns Night when Anderson's arm forced the ball over the line. The referee missed the cheat and we'll hope for a better showing from the same official on Sunday.
The away support view....
Craig Moore suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament as the Inverness game ended but the rest seem to have escaped unscathed. The manager suggested in his pre-match interview that he had considered a different formation and it's possible that a change might be made. Maybe a start for Anier at the expense of McFadden? Derek McInness was in the Phil O'Donnell stand on Wednesday and he'll have a good idea of our strengths and weaknesses.
We'll face a big crowd at Pittodrie desperate for success after the years of poor league finishes. The Aberdeen support (and a host of media pundits) see the runner up place as confirmation that the good times are back. It's an old chestnut, but the longer we stay in the game the more nervous the home crowd will become.
The early kick off time combined with live TV coverage will do nothing to encourage travelling fans but the team can expect a strong vocal backing. If we've learned anything from our recent games it's that we are most at risk when we take an early two goal lead. Maybe we should settle for a late goal and a 1-0 steal!
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