The margin of the victory hardly reflected the balance of play. After a poor opening half hour Moult scored from the penalty spot to earn a narrow half time lead and with a fine assist from McDonald he added his second five minutes after the break. Johnson killed the contest with the third and the consolation with fifteen minutes remaining came too late for the visitors.
Johnson shoots to put us 3 up
McDonald, Pearson and Hammell were back in the team with Fletcher, McFadden and the injured Gomis making way. The opening half hour did little to provide entertainment for the crowd and the biggest reaction came when a Thistle clearance soared over the East Stand. Nevertheless Motherwell looked the more likely team and most of the play was in the opposition half.
A sign that a contest might break out appeared when Johnson fired on target causing Cerny to parry. We managed to get the ball into the net but the assistant’s flag halted premature celebrations. Laing had an opportunity when he faced the ‘keeper but there was no goal scoring instinct on hand.
Lasley needed a few minutes to recover from a heavy challenge but eventually he picked himself up and trotted upfield. Hammell gave him possession inside the box and Nesbitt’s trip gave the referee no option but to award a penalty. Moult made no mistake and we had the lead.
Ouch!
Cadden had a good afternoon and he had chances before and after the break. His energy and willingness to run with the ball is an important strength. The second goal was a well worked effort and McDonald was the provider. Moult shot from around 16 yards and Cerny was beaten.
Thistle were now unbalanced as they put on additional attackers. Johnson exploited the space behind them and charged down the right wing before cutting inside. He shot from the edge of the box and with a helpful glance off a defender we were three ahead.
We continued to push forward and McDonald and McManus produced fine shots on target from close range. The ‘keeper did well to block both shots.
Booth scored with fifteen minutes to play when Ripley failed to deal with his powerful 25 yard strike but we failed to oblige the visitors with any further late concessions and the points were secured.
Those six points taken from the last three games together with results elsewhere give us a slim breathing space but a few more wins will be needed to ease the pressure in the race to avoid the play-off place.
Motherwell 3 Partick Thistle 1
Attendance 4,302 (979)
Team: Ripley, Hammell, Laing, McManus, Hall, Pearson, Lasley, Johnson, Cadden, Moult, McDonald