Match date : Saturday 8th November 1997 Competition : Premier League Attendance : 5,346
SIX 'WELL URGENTLY NEED A TONIC
Motherwell 0 Kilmarnock 1FURIOUS Motherwell fans booed their team off the Fir Park turf after they had seen their favourites slump to their sixth defeat in-a-row, and their eigth in ten matches, to remain firmly entrenched at the foot of the Premier Table.
A completely lacklustre first-half display saw virtually no cohesive play from the home side, with the main talking points being some of the terrible challenges by Kilmarnock players which Referee Herald somehow chose to ignore. In only 12 minutes Davies was hit from the back by a very late challenge from Mitchell which left the midfielder lying motionless on the turf. Davies was carried off on a stretcher, whilst Mitchell escaped even a tongue-wagging when at the very least a yellow card should have been issued. Namibian International Eliphas Shivute, on the bench, immediately came on for Davies, but appeared to find it difficult in the slippery conditions to enforce his prescence on the match. One bright note for the Fir Park faithfull was the return from long-term injury of Shaun McSkimming, but he will take time to fit in to the hurly-burly of Premier League action. The only real chance in the most inept 45 minutes of the season at Fir Park fell to Kilmarnock, the busy Veraille was allowed to proceed to the bye-line, and his cut-back was smashed first-time by Roberts but Woods parried well, with Verailles return cross excellently saved by Woods under extreme pressure. That apart, it was a hugely disappointing first forty-five minutes for all, especially the home support.
Half-Time Motherwell 0 Kilmarnock 0The second half saw Motherwell forced into a second substitution as Frenchman Eric Garcin, who had been having a steady match at the heart of the Motherwell defence, had to be replaced by John Hendry due to a leg-knock received just prior to the interval. This match appeared to have a goalless draw written all over it as both sides struggled in the wet conditions to create any real openings, though it has to be said that whilst Kilmarnock were workmanlike, Motherwell were just simply awful in everything that they tried to do. If a goal was going to be scored, it undoubtedly would have to come from the spot, and indeed it did with 23 minutes of the match to go. Holt's ball into the box for Roberts saw Craigan make a rash challenge on the Kilmarnock striker, and there was no doubt it was a penalty kick. As Craigan held his head in his hands, Roberts dusted himself down and scored with consummate ease as he put Woods the wrong way. Just after this Holt was able to run fully 40 yards after dispossessing Hendry to shoot narrowly past. It was 2 minutes into injury time that Motherwell's first real effort on target almost gave them what would have been an undeserved draw, Coyne and Coyle combining to set up Lee McCulloch who fired in a 25-yard shot which, but for the intervention of Holt, would have screamed into the top left-hand corner. A corner kick was all that Motherwell got, and that went to waste. That, as they say, was that, Motherwell slumping to their sixth defeat in-a-row which, from memory, is an unenvieable club record in the Premier League.
FULL-TIME Motherwell 0 Kilmarnock 1