IF being a fan of a provincial Scottish football team teaches you anything, it is not to get carried away. Well, that and make sure to bring an umbrella and an emergency dinghy with you to a game in July just in case.
Having said that, there was an air of optimism that could not be missed through the haze of a summer Lanarkshire down pour at Fir Park while goal after goal rained in for Motherwell yesterday afternoon. Just a week on from smashing Queen’s Park 5-1 at Hampden in their Betfred Cup opener – aye, it was chucking it down there as well – in front of an appreciative yet stunned home crowd they battered Morton 4-0 to rocket into a strong position at the summit of group F.
At times, it was incredible stuff from a Premiership side that has flirted dangerously with relegation two out of the last three seasons, and only avoided the drop on those occasions by either a play-off or on the penultimate weekend of the campaign. Ahead through Charles Dunne’s first senior goal on his competitive Motherwell debut with a back-post header, a vulnerable Morton were swept away in the deluge as Chris Cadden grabbed his second in as many games, while in the second half full-back Richard Tait and hero Louis Moult - with another wonder free-kick - rounded things off in style.
“The most pleasing aspect of our performance was our work rate and our energy,” said Stephen Robinson, the Motherwell manager.
“I think we are a little bit ahead of where I thought we would be but I’m not kidding myself because there is still a lot of work to be done.
“You don’t bring nine players in and have instant success but you can see what we’re trying to do.”
The scent of blood was fresh in Motherwell nostrils early as they faced a makeshift Morton defence without Ricki Lamie, captain Thomas O’Ware and Lee Kilday. An inability by those that remained to deal with balls into the box and react to play was their downfall here. Indeed, if it wasn’t for Derek Gaston denying Motherwell more than once when they were through on goal, it could have been much worse.
For all their defensive deficiencies, the killer blow to the Cappielow cause was not made by any Motherwell player but from Gary Harkins. The former Kilmarnock and Dundee man was the penalty shootout hero against Queen’s Park during the week but was very much the villain here as a high-footed lunge on Craig Tanner on 39 minutes gave Kevin Clancy no choice but to order him off.
At 2-0 down Morton were cut adrift and left swimming against a strong Motherwell tide as the heavens opened.
“I didn’t think it was a sending off,” said Jim Duffy, the Morton manager. “How else can you win the ball? You have to do that and I don’t think there was any contact with the player. Maybe it was a yellow card for dangerous play at best.
“I’m not saying we would have won the game with 11 men but we could have competed.”
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