When Gers are up, the Well of despair runs deep
MOTHERWELL have earned themselves a reputation in recent years as a team capable of giving the big boys a tough time but not quite getting over the line. They reached both domestic cup finals last season – knocking out Rangers in the Betfred Cup and Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup – before losing on each occasion to Celtic. They also held Brendan Rodgers’ champions to a 1-1 draw at Fir Park in November last year with the Hoops requiring an 88th-minute penalty from Scott Sinclair to extend their domestic unbeaten run to 66 games.
It was a similar story when Rangers came to visit in March this year in another game in which penalties played a prominent part. Motherwell raced into a 2-0 lead within the first 16 minutes thanks to goals from Curtis Main from the spot and a tidy finish from Allan Campbell after good work by the English striker. GET the lowdown on Scottish football’s fascinating history with a visit to the National Stadium. There’s fun among all the exhibits for every family member. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. Adults £6, U16/concs £3, U5 free. Tel: 0141 616 6139 or visit www. scottishfootball museum.org.uk
But Rangers hit back with two goals in quick succession after the break, the first was another penalty from James Tavernier in the 51st minute and the second came from former player Jamie Murphy just two minutes later. That took the total to 41 games since the last time Motherwell beat Rangers in a league game and it prompted one reader to ask the following question . . .
Q: Not including the Premiership play-off in May 2015, when was the last time Motherwell beat Rangers in the league?
A: You have to go back to Boxing Day 2002 for Motherwell’s last league win against Rangers at Fir Park, James McFadden scored the only goal of the game in the 65th minute as Terry Butcher’s side would end Rangers eightmonth unbeaten run.
In charge of Rangers that day was Alex McLeish, who was also in charge of Motherwell the last time they beat Rangers at Ibrox in the league back in May 1997, as Owen Coyle netted twice in a 2-0 win that would delay Rangers’ title party for at least one more game.