Motherwell joy night as Curtis sinks the Saints with super show at Fir Park
PREMIERSHIP LIVE JOY FOR STEELMEN Gaffer hails the hunger of Fir Park hero Curtis
STEPHEN ROBINSON was delighted to see how unhappy Curtis Main was last night – despite grabbing the second goal in Motherwell’s win.
Allan Campbell, 19, fired Robinson’s side on the way to victory and up to sixth place in the Premiership.
And the Well boss admitted he’d been heartened by the grit and desire shown by his battling Steelmen.
Robinson said: “I was delighted with that. We were really solid and competed well against a good, strong physical team.
“We earned the right to play football and we were terrific in the second half.
“Curtis made a great impact but he’s still not happy.
“He’s beating himself up that he should have scored more goals – he probably should have done too.
“People maybe expected us to struggle when Louis Moult left but we’ve brought in quality strikers such as Curtis and Nadir and they win you games.
“And Allan was absolutely brilliant. The wee man inspires me and the other players. To be one of the youngest players on the pitch and be doing that is brilliant.”
St Johnstone should have gone ahead on three minutes when Chris Kane played in Stefan Scougall but his tame shot from 12 yards was smothered by Trevor Carson.
Chris Cadden bent an effort well off target before the roles were reversed at the other end when Scougall played in Kane who aimed a trundler at Carson when he ought to have done much better.
Motherwell came close on 13 when Campbell found Main inside the box and his shot was deflected by Steven Anderson over the crossbar.
Saints suffered a blow on 20 minutes when Scougall limped off to be replaced by Matty Willock after he landed awkwardly on his ankle when he challenged for a header.
Main then tested Alan Mannus’s reflexes from 16 yards but the keeper held on comfortably. The Well striker came even closer on 35 minutes when he hammered in an effort that smashed off the top of the crossbar.
Five minutes from the break Murray Davidson was fouled on the edge of the area by Andy Rose but Blair Alston’s free-kick was straight at Carson.
Saints’ Jason Kerr picked up the game’s first caution on 44 minutes when he fouled Nadir Ciftci on the halfway line.
Motherwell started the second half as if they meant business.
And on 48 minutes Cadden’s corner was knocked back into the box by Rose towards Main whose ball across goal found no takers. But Main missed a sitter 60 seconds later when Ciftci’s shot fell to the feet of Main about 15 yards out but he screwed badly wide of the target with his right foot.
The same player then passed up a one-on-one opportunity on 52 minutes when Ciftci superbly flicked the ball through but the advancing Mannus managed to block the attacker’s shot with his foot.
Five minutes later Tait fired in a dangerous low ball that Anderson failed to clear but Mannus got down to smother the ball at the feet of Ciftci.
The breakthrough arrived on 65 minutes. Main played in Rose down the left and he squared it across the face of goal as Campbell timed his run to ram the ball home from six yards.
And Main doubled Well’s advantage on 70 minutes when he found space in the box and drilled a low 14-yard drive past Mannus for his fourth goal since joining the Steelmen.
Craig Tanner whipped in a superb ball but Rose headed wide and substitute Gael Bigirimana brought a save from Mannus as Well saw it out against a Saints side now six games without a win.
Perth boss Tommy Wright said: “What was worrying was I didn’t see too many leaders out there. We’re in a scrap now and I hope they’re ready for it. I’ve told them to forget all talk about a top-six finish.”