Motherwell were given a helping hand by sloppy defending and woeful finishing from our hosts but that should not lessen the praise that the players deserve. In the words of Steve Lomas after the game "Motherwell did to us what we have done to other teams in recent weeks. They were sharper to the ball and won the individual battles so we have take it on the chin."
MFC TV prepares for the online commentary
We made full use of the generous pitch and, particularly in the first half, there were a few spells of attractive football. The second period saw St Johnstone chasing the game and our concentration focussed on repelling boarders rather than producing attacking creativity. It was hardly a great advert for the SPL although it did produce another three points to cheer us up on the homeward journey.
The big disappointment was the official attendance - recorded as 2,885. That figure should cause some unease at SPL headquarters. It was beaten by two SFL fixtures (Dundee v Queen of the South 5,019 and Falkirk v Hamilton 3,024) and is all the more shocking when it was an encounter between two teams on successful runs. Any argument that enlarging the league might dilute quality and lower attendances seems to be silly given Saturday's statistics. Inverness v Dundee United contributed a modest 3,142 to the total.
The Motherwell crowd at kick off
Any weekend in the first half of December has to compete with the seasonal urge to shop but even so, the SPL should look again at its long term strategy. The Friday Night experiment allied to a big cut in entry prices generated a crowd in excess of 7,000 at Fir Park last week. The lesson is staring our administrators in the face. The concept of a loss leader is a tried and tested method of generating interest in the retail sector and the time is ripe for a prolonged period of low cost football in Scotland.
Clubs face a horrible choice as they try to encourage supporters back to the stands. They can keep prices sky high (we'll be charging travellers from Paisley £22 next week) and accept poor attendances or they can cut them and pay a financial penalty in the hope that some long term growth in crowds will produce a healthier climate.