MOTHERWELL 1
ROSS COUNTY 1
By SCOTT MULLEN
ON the eve of arguably Motherwell's most important game in years, a link to an interview pinged up on the club's Facebook page.
It was a piece with winger Marvin Johnson who spoke in native footballer dialect with phrases such as 'building momentum', 'on the front foot', 'not being afraid' and playing with 'real belief'. For all the Englishman's well-articulated points, it was the succinct comment beneath the social media post from panic-stricken Well fan Colin Sherry that cut straight to the point: "Just win, please please please just bloody win. This is all."
It may be a tad to the point, yet it spoke of the severity of the situation the Fir Park club faced before kick-off. Motherwell's supporters, probably including Mr Sherry, are usually spending this stage of the season dusting off their passports, buying packets of white socks and sandals and working out what the Romanian phrase is for 'square sausage'. This year it is spent looking through cracks in fingers and analysing the ins and outs of the play-off system.
Victory against Ross County yesterday would have brought the Lanarkshire side to within three points of Jim McIntyre's men, while defeat would virtually consign Ian Baraclough's side to the play-offs. As things turned out, it was neither as a 1-1 draw leaves Motherwell teetering on the edge of a meeting with Rangers, Hibernian or Queen of the South.
Deservedly a goal up through Scott McDonald after 20 minutes, they were ruthlessly punished for not making the most of their superiority through Liam Boyce's leveller on 41 minutes. Still six behind County and now Kilmarnock, the defiant message is clear from Ian Baraclough with only nine left to play for as his team creep ominously close to running out of time.
"Nobody is giving up here, " said the Motherwell manager. "We're not resigned to playing an extra two games by any means. It's still there for us.
"We look at Kilmarnock who got beaten again. They have to come here on Friday. There are three games to go and six points between us. If we can beat them with the same application and intensity it reeally turns the heat up."
It was a first half that Motherwell were firmly in control of until it was wrenched from their grasp just a few minutes before half-time. Marvin Johnson and McDonald both produced volleys from out wide that tested Mark Brown, while corner after corner caused mayhem in the County defence as balls flashed teasingly in front of their gaping goal.
Given the County's vulnerability from the flanks, it was no surprise the opener came down the wing. Conor Grant held the ball up well just inside the area before laying off to the overlapping Josh Law. The full-back took it beyond the defence with one touch and then drilled the ball across the face of goal with his second to the inrushing McDonald to slide home.
Chances continued to come and go for the home side who knew only a win would do. But like much of the season, they failed to make the most of them as County began to creak. Unfortunately for Motherwell, defensive fallibility has also played a prominent role in their campaign. Another mistake would haunt them just four minutes before the break.
An attempted clearance by centre-half Mark O'Brien was miscued badly by the Irishman as Boyce pounced. The man who signed a new deal with the Highlanders last week ran into the box, turned Law inside and out to then bend a fine finish into the far corner from 12 yards out.
The second half was spent trying to plumb in the kitchen sink in the Ross County box. Lionel Ainsworth, John Sutton and Dominic Thomas were thrown on as the stark reality of the situation flooded over Motherwell. Stephen Pearson looked to be pole axed in the area by Scott Boyd only for Crawford Allan to wave play on while the former Celtic and Scotland midfielder was denied twice within the matter of seconds as the clock ticked quickly down. Grant also had a rasping 30 yard volley parried away by Brown.
It would help earn his team an important point but more crucially deny Motherwell a further two. Not quite out of the woods yet, County showed enough savvy to see this game out to keep yesterday's opponents at a safe distance.
"We have been taking the games one at a time and it has served us well," said McIntyre, the Ross County manager. "It was important we bounced back from last week's defeat against Thistle and any time you pick up a point away from home, especially when teams are fighting their lives, it's a great point."
MOTHERWELL: Long; Law, O'Brien, McManus, Hammell; Grant (Thomas 87), Lasley, Pearson, Johnson (Ainsworth 67); Pearson, McDonald, Erwin (Sutton 77)
UNUSED SUBS:Twardzik, Ramsden, Moore, Straker
SCORERS: McDonald 20
BOOKINGS: McDonald, Erwin, Pearson, O'Brien
ROSS COUNTY: Brown; Fraser, P Quinn, Boyd, Reckord; Gardyne (Kiss 87), Woods, Irvine, De Vita (Dingwall 65) ; Curran (R Quinn 80), Boyce
UNUSED SUBS: Reguero, Meite, Sernas, Palazuelos
SCORERS: Boyce 41
BOOKINGS: P Quinn, Boyd
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