October 2002 Saturday, October 5
5.30pm
Oh dear. We lost 2-1 to Aberdeen at Fir Park this afternoon. Despite being 1-0 up and cruising at half time, we managed to completely throw the game away in the second half.
We started the game in our usual 4-4-2 formation, with McFadden once again playing just behind the forward pairing of Ferguson and Lehmann. Scott Leitch returned to the midfield and Daniel Sengewald was on the bench, but there was still no sign of Stephen Pearson.
The first half was dominated by Motherwell, and we should have been a goal up inside a couple of minutes when McFadden was clean through on goal, but he mis-kicked his shot and the chance was gone. Faddy passud up a similar chance shortly afterwards, and then a Hammell corner appeared to miss everyone only for the ball to rebound off the bar and be scrambled clear. Just when it seemed the goal wouldn’t come, we were awarded a penalty shortly before half time when McGuire was adjudged to have fouled Lasley in the box. To be honest there didn’t seem to be an awful lot of contact as Lasley went down, but James McFadden wasn’t caring as he sent the ‘keeper the wrong way from the penalty spot. 1-0 at half time, but it should have been a whole lot more.
The game changed just a couple of minutes into the second half when we gifted Aberdeen an equaliser. Derek Young’s deflected shot trundled towards Steve Woods, but he managed to spill it and Young slid the ball past him to make it 1-1. This was the first time the visitors had been seen as an attacking force in the whole match, and I’m sure they couldn’t believe their luck. After this it was anyone’s game and there were chances at both ends, although the longer the match went on the more Aberdeen began to dominate the midfield, and it was no real surprise when they grabbed a winner with only 7 minutes left. To rub salt in the wound, it was Eric Deloumeaux who volleyed home from around 8 yards after Ramsay had failed to cut out a cross. The heads went down a bit after this, and the Dons could have added a third in the last minute when Billio’s long range effort came back off the bar.
Since beating Celtic we have taken only 1 point from a possible 12. The sad thing is that we haven’t been outplayed in any of these 4 games (well, except perhaps for the second half v Hearts), but we keep throwing points away by shooting ourselves in the foot. I’m sorry to go on another anti-Woods rant, but there can simply be no excusing his performance today. He has already cost us goals against Hibs, Dunfermline and Dundee this season but today was the worst of the lot. The deflected shot he spilled for the first Aberdeen goal was little more than a passback, and a goalkeeper from the Junior leagues would be better than him at dealing with crosses. Another area we need to look at is the right-back position, as at the moment Dougie Ramsay simply doesn’t have the pace to play there and is outstripped far too easily.
I just hope that at the end of the season we’re not going to regret all these points we’ve thrown away…
Team: Woods, Ramsay, Corrigan, Partridge, Hammell, Lasley, Leitch (Sengewald 68), Adams, McFadden, Ferguson (Russell 80), Lehmann.
Subs not used: Dubourdeau, Cowan, Fagan.
Booked: Ferguson, McFadden, Hammell.
Crowd: 6,014.
Time for a new opinion poll!
Should Steve Woods be replaced when the transfer window reopens?