It was a good night for floodlit football. The weather was fine and although the pitch had cut up somewhat following the severe freeze it was nowhere near the state of the Fir Park surface last year.
Our recent record in Perth, the win over Hibs and the fact that the manager was able to send out the same team should have given our boys some self belief. It was evident early on that our hopes of a confident and controlled display were well off the mark.
We were not beaten by an exciting St Johnstone team that played open and expansive football. They did not have us chasing shadows as they stroked the ball about the park. Instead the opposition beat us because they worked harder, made more chances and, of course, they got the game changing decision when Craigan was penalised inside the box. It was significant that the Saints’ manager commented after the match that he would have been “disappointed had that decision been given against us” but he felt his players “worked hard”. There was no mention of the quality of the fare on offer to the fans.
A testament to the loyalty of the 2,268 supporters who attended was that they stayed beyond the first half. It was a turgid affair littered with mistakes from both teams. Stuart McCall felt that there was “nothing between the teams” and that the referee’s decision was game changing but he also made no mention of the quality on offer. “We haven’t deserved to lose it” was the final thought.
When asked about possible signings, McCall said he was hopeful of new faces joining up in the next few days. He also hoped that any incomers would improve the quality of the squad but agreed that there was an urgent need for “more bodies”.
It is debatable whether the timing of the upcoming semi-final does Motherwell any favour. We are in such shaky form at the moment that only the super optimists among us see any hope of a win. The game will give the new manager a further opportunity to evaluate his players and he might begin to formulate a plan that enables us to get the best from our small squad. If that happens and our performance in the league improves then a loss on Sunday might be a price worth paying. On the other hand, if we manage to win(!!) then everyone at the club will get a boost and the prospect of another pay day might allow the manager more leeway in the final hours before the transfer window closes.