IN these days of football by numbers, when trusted old formations such as 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 are being replaced by vapid concoctions such as 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1 or 4-1-4-1, it is a rare delight to watch a match in which the outcome is decided by something so simple, yet compelling, as a duel between a winger and a full back.

That was the case on Saturday at Fir Park, where Lionel Ainsworth lined up on Motherwell's right flank against Partick Thistle's stand-in left back, Stuart Bannigan. This, though, was more of a mismatch than a duel.

The home side eschewed the modern preference for wide midfielders to act merely as decoys tasked with drawing defenders inside to open up a channel for their own full backs to provide width and penetration on the overlap. Instead, Motherwell wasted no time in getting the ball to Ainsworth and he wasted no time in knocking the ball past Bannigan and challenging him repeatedly to a foot race. A race which he won four times in the first half hour.

It was a captivating display of old-school wing play from the Englishman but one that made for painful viewing for Thistle's supporters and their manager, Alan Archibald. He finally put Bannigan out of his misery by relocating him to his more familiar stomping ground in midfield while asking Christie Elliott to try his luck marking Ainsworth.

By then, though, the damage had been done. The game's only goal came from a 14th-minute penalty awarded after Bannigan had pulled back Ainsworth after once again being left trailing in his wake. John Sutton despatched the spot kick to give Ian Baraclough his second win in a row since taking up the reins as Motherwell's new manager.

Afterwards both victor and vanquished from the decisive one-to-one battle had their say, with Bannigan conceding he had indeed felt "uncomfortable" at left back before admitting: "I should still have done better there. In the second half I tried to drag my team back into it from midfield, where I've played most of my career, but it wasn't to be. We had plenty of possession but lacked a killer touch."

His tormentor, Ainsworth, revealed that his first-half display had reflected the confidence he has found anew under Baraclough, although he was quick to express his loyalty and thanks to his former boss, Stuart McCall.

"The first half showed what I can do and what the team can do," Ainsworth said. "My confidence was down when I was out of the team at the start of the season but now we're all enjoying our football.

"The new manager has brought in a lot of short, sharp stuff in training and he even takes part in it. However, we're working just as hard as we did under Stuart. It was horrible to watch when he was trying everything and nothing was coming off. It was disheartening.

"Confidence is such a big thing in football. In the second half we had to grind out the result and I had to track back a lot and defend more. Stuart always told me if I did that I'd be in the team every week, so I know I have to do it."

The home side's narrow lead at half-time was the least they deserved for their display in the opening period in which they played with verve and menace. Baraclough's positional tweaks all reaped rewards. He pushed Josh Law forward to link up with Sutton, encouraged Ainsworth on the right and Henrik Ojamaa on the left to attack the opposition full backs and teamed Keith Lasley and Simon Ramsden in the centre of midfield, where they tackled Partick to a standstill.

It took the visitors until the stroke of half-time to get an effort on target but they pushed forward with more purpose after the break, only for Motherwell's back four to block everything they could throw at them. Such was their commitment that centre-half Mark O'Brien had to be replaced after suffering a mild concussion from heading away a fierce netbound shot.

Much of Partick's menace in the second half came from the overlapping runs of right back Stephen O'Donnell but this threat was largely snuffed out by Baraclough switching Law to the left flank. Thistle had a couple of half-hearted penalty appeals, while Motherwell could have extended their lead on the counter attack.

For the unfortunate Bannigan, though, the match finished with one last low blow when he was booked for a foul on Motherwell sub Lee Erwin that he didn't commit. "I didn't touch him. It was someone else who clipped him . . . but I don't want to grass him in," said Bannigan with a laugh and all the sincerity of a rogue from a Guy Ritchie crime caper.

Note to referee Brian Colvin: It was Thistle captain Danny Seaborne what done it. Honest, guv.