Motherwell and St Johnstone shared the spoils at McDiarmid Park after a goal apiece in the first half.
It was a hard fought affair as both teams showed an appetite to push forward. Nick Walsh played a big part in the game awarding free kicks and yellow cards at every opportunity.
Louis Moult and Kevin van Veen led the line from the start for the first time, Sondre Solhom replaced the injured Bevis Mugabi and Dean Cornelius found a place on the bench.
Motherwell’s determination to win possession was soon evident and after a few tussles Stuart McKinstry found room tin the box but his shot was off target. Van Veen, playing just behind Moult, showed his skills as he snatched the ball in midfield and trying his luck after a twenty yard run.
We fell behind just before the half hour. A St Johnstone made progress down the left and ended with a shot that Liam Kelly could only parry. Drey Wright was on had for a simple finish.
Blair Spittal fired at the ‘keeper when a cut back from his wide position seemed the better choice. The midfielder got his reward on the stroke of half time. From a free kick on the left just beyond the angle of the box his shot got a nick off the defensive wall and flew beyond Matthews into the net.
Chances were few and far between in the second period though most of the pressure was in front of Kelly. There were a few moments to give the travelling support some hope. McKinstry had a blast over the bar from 30 yards and Moult drew gasps with a clever turn on the eighteen yard line that put in in a great position to find a colleague from the dead ball line but his pass was poor.
The referee continued to infuriate the Motherwell contingent as frustration grew on the pitch. Connor Shields replaced McKinstry for the last fifteen minutes but despite best efforts the game ended without further scoring.
A point was the minimum Motherwell needed ahead of the five week break. With plenty of time for rest and recuperation to come we’ll have to hope that a fully fit squad can regain momentum in December.
St Johnstone 1 Motherwell 1
Attendance 4,055
Team: Kelly, O’Donnell, Solholm, Lamie, Penney, Goss, Slattery, McKinstry (Shields 76), Spittal, Cornelius, Van Veen
Saturday 12 November 2022