We were comprehensively outplayed in the first half and were lucky to reach the safety of the dressing room only two down. Boyd and Lafferty did the damage in 16 and 40 minutes but the home team missed a host of chances and Ruddy was called into action time after time to keep the score down.
There were two changes to the starting line up; Reynolds was ill and Murphy was benched and that gave McGlinchey and Jennings an opportunity.
The aforementioned half time break allowed Craig Brown a few choice words and a substitution. McGlinchey was withdrawn and Murphy was sent on to give Jutkiewicz some much needed company up front. The result was startling.
Some might argue that Rangers took their foot off the gas but there was an energy and determination to move forward that was missing earlier Murphy had the ball set up on the 18 yard line after O’Brien made a good central run. He gave Alexander no chance as the ball was dispatched low into the corner of the net.
There was a good chance for an equaliser when Jutkiewicz was through with only the keeper to beat but a finger tip touch kept the ball out. Lafferty seemed to kill the game when he was presented with a simple tap in after 70 minutes. None of the 50,321 inside the stadium could have foreseen the late, late comeback that lay ahead.
O’Brien and Sutton were replaced by Humphrey and Forbes and we stuck to the task. Humphrey delivered a peach of a cross and Murphy’s flying header from close range should have found the net but it was directed straight at the ‘keeper.
The stadium clock had changed to 89 minutes when Jennings burst though into the box, he missed his first attempt but scored with the second and with the prospect of three added minutes there was a crazy glimmer that it could be more than a consolation.
Season 2009/10 ends in fifth place
Murphy was pulled down as he tried to get round Alexander two minutes after the ninety and the referee gave the spot kick. Jutkiewicz grabbed the ball and placed it to the keeper’s left for an amazing recovery. The aggregate of the last two games is now 9-9 !!
The players rushed to the few hundred Motherwell fans in the corner of the stadium and enjoyed the moment. A few minutes later they were back to take their final bow of season 2009/10.