A decent second half was not enough to prevent a 2-1 loss for Motherwell against Aberdeen
Five half time substitutions energised the Motherwell attack but it was not enough to overtake the goals scored by Aberdeen winger Habib Gueye.
Stuart Kettlewell stood by his previous starting eleven as his team took to the field in the shiny new third strip. They had to withstand an opening assault as the home side, egged on by a big support, pushed for an early advantage.
Another fine game Ewan Wilson
There were a few scares but no breaches of Aston Oxborough’s goal before Motherwell came into the game. Davor Zdarvkovski and Stephen O’Donnell were in the referee’s book before the half hour as the game whizzed by at a frantic pace.
Gueye claimed the opener with a fast run on his left wing from the halfway line. ‘Well defenders were left in his wake and he cut in to score off Oxborough’s right hand post. Motherwell survived to the break without further loss and without a shot on target.
The chat in the away section was that Lennon Miller was ineffective supporting the attack and it was no surprise to see him drop back after the interval as Zdavkovski remained indoors to make room for Jack Vale.
The change was immediate and Motherwell looked to be more positive. Aberdeen continued to probe but as often as not Ewan Wilson would produce some excellent defensive work to keep his team in the contest.
Three more attacking substitutions were fielded and an instant reward almost arrived when Tony Watt had a header on target with his first touch.
The contest seemed over when Gueye headed a parry from Oxborough into the net from point blank range. That spurred Motherwell into a series of attacks that eventually paid off when Moses Ebiye knocked Watt’s crossed ball beyond Motov.
There was more action inside the five additional minutes. From a corner Liam Gordon sent a header destined for the postage stamp corner but the ‘keeper got an outstretched hand to bat the ball away.
Motherwell can take heart from the second half showing but there will be regret that their best was not on show until late in the game.
Aberdeen 2 Motherwell 1
Attendance 17,155
Team: Oxborough, O’Donnell (Tavares 65), Casey, Gordon, McGinn, Wilson, Zdravkovski (Vale 45), Hallliday (Ebiye 79), Miller, Maswanhise(Kaleta 65), Robinson (Watt 65)
Saturday 14 September 2024