SCOTT McDONALD isn't a footballer renowned for being the cheeriest of souls on a football park. A glance down from the stands at a chirpy looking Australian and the next thing you'd be best doing is making sure the world is still correctly spinning on its axis and to check some tasty filling hasn't quantum leaped into your scotch pie.
Imagine the surprise then when the sight of a beaming McDonald appeared round the corner of the Fir Park press room door on Saturday afternoon. Given a victorious Motherwell player hadn't popped in the wee room inside the Phil O'Donnell Stand since November, it didn't take a mastermind to work out just what had caused the change in mood for the 33-year-old.
In a must-win match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday, the home side surrendered a two-goal lead to bottom-placed Inverness before the game turned on its head on 65 minutes. A McDonald shot appeared to be saved on the line by Owain Fon Williams only for assistant referee David McGeachie to rule it had crossed the line before Well then went on to add a fourth five minutes later.
“Who said it wasn’t a goal, anyway!” joked McDonald, doing a good impression of a Cheshire cat, of the key 'goal'. “I had a word with the goalie afterwards and I said I wasn’t completely sure.
“Not that it will be any consolation to Inverness, but we’ve had two clear ones from our point of view against Dundee and Hamilton. Obviously, we take it, especially as it was at a pivotal time in the game. Whenever you get a goal, there is always going to be a sense of relief.
“Whether it is in the situation we are in or it’s at the start of a season, it doesn’t matter to me.”
The frown was turned upside down on Saturday and it's a change in mindset McDonald hopes is taken into another crucial home game next time out a week on Saturday against Dundee. The last time Paul Hartley's men visited Fir Park back in February they hammered Motherwell 5-1, ultimately costing Mark McGhee his job. Thanks to the weekend's three points which takes McDonald's team up to 10th, he is confident a revenge mission can be completed.
“We have a big game next against Dundee and I think they are all six-pointers now until it’s mathematically clear or not whether you’ll be safe," he said. “One result can change things and we were the last team that Dundee beat, so we’re fully aware of that.
“We enjoy this win and we’d like to put the Dundee result right from the last time because that was the detrimental performance that in the end cost our last manager his job. We’ll be looking to rectify that."
For Inverness, the writing man not be on the wall but the can of spray paint is being rattled in preparation. Richie Foran, the Caley Thistle manager, was right to moan about the crucial decision for Motherwell's third. Yet, if for better finishing, striker Alex Fisher should have added to the brace he claimed either side of half-time. Instead, they now go into a monumental Highland Derby knowing defeat could leave their Premiership status hanging by a thread.
“It’s very hard to take," he said. "Before the game we knew exactly what was required and following a poor start we put ourselves right back into the game before a decision was made which made it so hard for us to come back.
“It’s tough at the moment but we have a strong will and a very positive changing room and as far as we are concerned this is not over.
“Dundee will be as nervous as anyone going into the last five games but we will try to focus on what we can control. I imagine teams will be taking points off each other so we have to string some wins together to escape the drop. It’s the classic cliché but we are only two wins away from being back in the mix and we’re focused on our next game a week on Friday."
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