Dan Casey powered Motherwell to a 2-1 win in Perth. Attack and defence, he had it all.
This was a game that had seemed to slip from Motherwell's grasp but a late, late surge sealed St Johnstone's fate in added time.
The first half action was interrupted early on by a five minute VAR penalty check following a soft touch on Paul McGinn. The referee took an age but eventually arrived at the correct decision. As he waved for play to continue.
The travelling fans’ disappointment soon disappeared. Andy Halliday delivered a corner from the right wing to find Dan Casey. The defender produced a floated header that nestled in Ross Sinclair’s right corner.
Motherwell kept the pressure up for a short spell but the home side eventually had the majority of possession. Aston Oxborough saved well from Kimpioka and for the rest of the half he was untroubled. St Johnstone were well marshalled by an efficient defence.
In added time Zach Robinson succumbed to a knock to afford Tony Watt another excursion from the bench.
The visitors impressed immediately after the restart. Cammy McPherson crunched into Andy Halliday to earn a yellow card. Lennon Miller reacted to a quick throw-in and reached the dead ball line but no one was there for his cut back.
Casey saw another header just miss the upright but none of the chances fell for the visitors.
St Johnstone found a leveller. A break on the left gave Kimpioka a chance and his low drive flew into the net off of Oxborough. They took heart from the goal and then had several spells on top. Motherwell had to hang on.
Stuart Kettlewell turned to his bench to increase his attacking threat and as the game entered the closing stages the visiting fans were given further hope.
Four added minutes were signalled with the ‘Well pressing. Corner after corner (4 in all) piled into the goal area. Casey forced a couple of saves from the ‘keeper but eventually one crossed the line. Moses Ebiye helped it into the net.
The win confirms that Motherwell have started the season well and the management team, fresh from signing new contracts, can enjoy the international break.
St Johnstone 1 Motherwell 2
Attendance
Team: Oxborough, O’Donnell, Casey, Gordon, Ginn, Wilson, Zdravkovski (Ebiye 86), Hallliday (Sparrow 67), Miller (Maswanhise (Vale 67), Robinson (Watt 45+3)
Saturday 31 August 2024