There was a philosophical air about Mark McGhee after this match. His team will play worse and win this season. That they failed to do so on Saturday was due to their own wastefulness in front of goal. The Fir Park side have picked up from where they left off last campaign by playing bright attacking football but, for now, the cutting edge remains elusive.

John Sutton, their new signing, scored on his debut. A barn-storming second-half performance failed to yield the winner and Chris Porter also missed a penalty - awarded when Garry Kenneth clumsily felled the Englishman inside the box. They could have done with Ross McCormack, the influential striker who moved to Cardiff City in the summer and rattled in two against Norwich at the weekend. However, McGhee was right not to be overly concerned by his side's bluntness in attack.

Motherwell have goals in their team. David Clarkson, in particular, continues to make decisive contributions and looks to have grown in stature and confidence since his recent involvement in the Scotland set-up.

He scuttled about the no man's land between midfielders and strikers creating merry havoc, despite spurning a gilt-edged chance 12 minutes after the interval. Porter scuffed and sclaffed his way through this encounter, but remains a proven goalscorer. The Englishman is confident that his side will click.

"We've been a bit unlucky up till now," he reflected. "We should have won the last two games. We should have got something against Hearts in their 3-2 defeat in the opening game of the season. When our luck changes, we will start getting a few results. We actually played well today but just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. It was a good save from the penalty but, at the end of the day, I missed it."

The home side missed the influential presence of Stephen Hughes in midfield, who could also be absent for next week's visit to Easter Road. The former Rangers and Leicester midfielder provides the composure and class that was missing on Saturday.

Like Motherwell, Craig Levein's side are still trying to find the right chemistry after an indifferent start to the season. Lee Wilkie's towering header restored parity just before half-time, but the Tannadice side looked functional and lacking inspiration at times, particularly after the interval. "We didn't come out of the traps in the second half," said Levein. "We gave the ball away and I don't think we deserved to take a point, but we did and that was pleasing."

Warren Feeney and Roy O'Donovan are bruising presences in attack, but Levein is clearly itching to get Fransisco Sandaza match fit. The former Valencia striker, who scored the equaliser against Celtic last Sunday, made a second-half appearance but is still not up to speed. "After every game he has played, he's suffered from muscle niggles because he hasn't trained," said Levein. "We need to get him up to speed in training and get him time on the pitch. In the next couple of weeks, he will be ready to start games."

Danny Swanson is another player who Levein can barely contain his excitement over. The diminutive attacker came on in the second half and went on one mesmerising run which showcased his speed and skill. "He's a huge part of my plans," insisted Levein. "He might play more home games than away ones this season. Danny will be fantastic. You saw in the last 20 minutes today that he is as talented as anyone in Scotland."