7.15pm

Today's result: Motherwell 1, Kilmarnock 0.

An injury time winner from David Clarkson secured all three points against a poor Kilmarnock side in a disappointing match at Fir Park this afternoon.

Stevie Hammell came in to replace Jim Paterson at left-back, while Simon Lappin started on the bench.  Porter missed out through injury, with McGarry moving upfront and Fitzpatrick coming into the side in midfield.

Although Motherwell dominated the first half, there were few incidents of note other than a missed penalty from Ross McCormack after 22 minutes.  Clarkson was felled in the box and the referee has no hesitation in awarding a spot kick, but McCormack pulled his penalty wide of target.

The second half brought more of the same, with the visitors seldom seen in an attacking sense.  Clarkson and Lasley both had opportunities to score before Killie were reduced to 10 men on 72 minutes.  Invincible, Fowler and Lilley launched three wild lunges on Hughes, Clarkson and McCormack respectively, and although the referee tried to play advantage he eventually stopped play to book both Fowler and Lilley, with the latter having already been cautioned.  Stevie Hammell brought a superb save out of the Killie goalkeeper with a free kick and Fitzpatrick put a header wide, as it looked like we would have to settle for 0-0.  However, deep into injury time, substitute Lappin crossed from the left and Clarkson rose to head home to send the East Stand wild!

Despite being far from our best this afternoon, there is no doubt we thoroughly deserved all three points against a woeful Kilmarnock side who seemed intent on timewasting for virtually the entire match.  We badly missed Chris Porter upfront, and our supposed "top" players like Hughes and McCormack never really got going, but we still had more than enough for Killie.

Bring on Dundee!

Team (4-3-3): Graeme Smith, Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds, Hammell, Lasley (Lappin 82), Hughes, Fitzpatrick, McCormack (Jamie Murphy 87), McGarry (Darren Smith 87), Clarkson. 
Subs Not Used: Daniels, Brian McLean, Danny Murphy, Maguire.

Motherwell scorer: Clarkson (90).

Booked: none.

Attendance: 6,618.

Speaking after the game, Mark McGhee insisted that a 0-0 draw would not have been two points dropped:
"I'd have counted that as a positive, but I always thought the game could be won and it was, even though it took until the last minute.  I was prepared that the goal wouldn't come but I was determined that we should keep doing what we thought was right and hope we eventually got the breakthrough.

"The two words I used at half-time were patience - that if it didn't come we just had to keep trying - and, secondly, concentration, in the sense of not being countered against and not leaving ourselves exposed trying to get a winning goal.

"The pleasing thing for me is that the message has been borne to be true as we got that goal so late in the game, and the most important thing for me is that United drew today and we won so we're only a point behind with three games in hand."

"It's good to have had a game as most of the players have now had 90 minutes, and I like to think we'll have benefited from that.

"Kilmarnock worked hard, things didn't quite fall for us and we missed a penalty - had we scored that, we might have gone on and won comfortably.

"Ross is good at taking penalties and practices them; I would call him a penalty specialist but I suppose even they miss them sometimes.

"But I think his mind's clear because he's made a decision that he's staying here until the end of the season and he's fully focused."

Ross McCormack this week held talks with Wigan, and is reportedly close to agreeing a pre-contract with the Premiership side.  Mark McGhee's reaction was as follows:
"He might go to Wigan in the summer and he may sign before then but he hasn't yet and I'll be encouraging him not to.

"I think that there will be a lot bigger clubs than Wigan lining up for Ross, and I think he should hold his horses and I think his agent should advise him to do that."

"We will be trying to persuade him to stay until he signs for someone else but there is an inevitability about it.

"He has been offered huge contracts at these clubs and we can't compete with that.

"If they have got ability and they come to a place like this, that's on the up, then they have got a chance of moving on.

"That's why Ross has come here, that's why Stephen Hughes, Chris Porter signed for Motherwell.

"Not because they want to play for Motherwell for the rest of their lives but they see it as an opportunity to establish themselves and go somewhere better.

"The fans have a choice - have them for one or two years or not have them at all.

"We cannot compete with Wigan, with Celtic or Rangers, Premiership (English Premier League) clubs. We cannot compete with Championship clubs who are able to pay five and six times the wages that we pay.

"So the fans have to be content that, while they are here, these boys do the absolute best they can and produce performances that entertain them and are committed to them, and when they leave, wish them well."

The following re-arranged fixtures were announced by the SPL this week:

Motherwell v Inverness CT, Wednesday 20 February, 7.45pm

Hibernian v Motherwell, Wednesday 12 March, 7.45 pm

Motherwell v Celtic, Saturday 15 March, 12.30pm  (live on Setanta).

The Motherwell FC AGM will take place on Monday, February 25, and in a letter to shareholders the club announced a profit of £7,792 for the year ended 31 May 2007.