Malpas made one change from the midweek triumph at Hampden. Fitzpatrick got the nod and Donnelly found himself on the bench.
Paterson clears the lines
The first half produced a couple of half chances at either end. For Motherwell, a
The wall was not needed this time!
United's best effort came from a long range Robson shot which forced Meldrum to a full length save. The keeper dealt competently with the few crosses which came his way. Quinn had one crucial defensive header but overall it was a disappointing forty five minutes.
There were no changes at half time and the game continued in the same uninspiring style. Robson looked threatening and came close with a couple of shots but the game came to life around the hour mark. Elliot replaced Foran and within five minutes he had a goal. McGarry found some space outside the box and managed to drill a shot to Stillie's right hand corner. The keeper failed to hold and McDonald was on hand to fire in a second attempt from close range. This time the ball was only half blocked and it trundled along the goal line and the substitute knocked it in.
The old adage about teams being vulnerable after a goal gained more strength when Hunt headed home a Duff cross within minutes. Meldrum had no chance of reaching the well directed header.
We had a thrill when McCracken and Stillie got into a fankle anf McDonald almost got a scoring touch and United got excited when referee Conroy awarded them a free kick outside the box when the infringement (if there was one) was clearly inside the area.
The home team looked the more likely to sneak a winner and we were reduced to desperate defending on several occasions. Samuel added some threat to the United attack but we held on for a point.