Kelly refuses to take all the credit after getting own back on McGrath
LIAM KELLY remained modest after winning his crucial battle of wits with St Mirren penalty expert Jamie McGrath on Saturday, which paved the way for Motherwell to take a significant step away from the Premiership danger zone. The on-loan QPR goalkeeper had his revenge on the Saints midfielder, who beat him from the spot on his Motherwell debut in January, to keep the scores level in the 35th minute. Just how crucial that save was became apparent when Devante Cole’s 62nd-minute goal secured three points. Afterwards, Kelly was quick to hand out the praise for his crucial intervention, saying: ‘I need to give a big shout out to my goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchliffe and Rossy (Ross Clarkson, who does our analysis. They sent me the work over but McGrath is such a difficult one because he waits for you to move. ‘He scored his penalty against me in my first game against St Mirren back in January, he’s obviously a brilliant penalty taker and I don’t think he’s missed many. ‘He went the other side the last time but he doesn’t think about sides. He waits for the goalie to go. ‘You’ve got to try to stay up as long as you can. When I was at QPR, Eberechi Eze, who is now at Crystal Palace, did the same. And I did a lot of work with him in training. ‘So I took a lot of my training into the match there and I’m delighted it helps the team get the win. ‘I’m sure if Jamie took it again, he’d score. So I’m glad I got a wee bit of luck. ‘It does look like it’s played a big part in the game, just like Devante’s goal played a part.’ Rejuvenated forward Cole, who has scored nine times in 15 outings since Graham Alexander’s appointment, struck the fortuitous winner just after the hour mark. Jak Alnwick tried to push out Christopher Long’s delivery but the ball ricocheted off Cole and into the net. However, St Mirren bossed possession and Kelly’s heroics were not restricted to that one moment when McGrath blinked first. Despite another fine show that will be noted by QPR staff, it’s doubtful Kelly will dislodge Seny Dieng from the No 1 jersey for next season. Which means the 25-year-old may seek games elsewhere and Motherwell would like to be first in the queue. One problem is he has over two years remaining on his Loftus Road contract, so cutting a deal may not prove straightforward or affordable. The other is his form over the last three months may alert other Scottish clubs to the idea of bringing the ex-Livingston man home. Kelly said: ‘I speak regularly with the two goalie coaches at QPR and talked with Mark Warburton before the Formartine game,’ said Kelly. ‘Their keeper is doing really well and they just got a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, which was great. ‘My future is still so unknown. It’s on QPR’s terms as I’m their player for the next two years. So they’ll decide. But I do know I want to play. If that’s at QPR, brilliant. If it’s not there I would like another crack in England. ‘But, really, you want to be where you are appreciated and not forced on people. ‘Motherwell feels like home. I’m a Glasgow boy and it’s 20 minutes away from here. It’s perfect and I’m loving it.’ Motherwell eased 11 points in front of bottom side Hamilton and nine clear of 11th-placed Kilmarnock to banish any lingering relegation concerns. A potentially bad injury to on-loan Hearts forward Jordan Roberts, stretchered off after an awkward landing with Marcus Fraser, doesn’t aid hopes of catching St Mirren and Dundee United above. Kelly admitted: ‘They were the best of the bottom six before the game. Now we want to finish as high up the table as possible. We want to finish seventh, if we can.’ Saints manager Jim Goodwin will be intent on ensuring the late dramas that destroyed their top-six bid don’t impact all the way to the end of an encouraging league season. This performance suggested otherwise, even if the result contained the familiar sting of not returning a reward they felt the display was due. Alnwick noted: ‘It’s probably the best we’ve played all season — bar Celtic away (2-1) and Dundee United away (5-1). ‘I think their goal summed up our afternoon and, probably, our season, in terms of we’ve had that many chances then been punished by a bit of misfortune.’
MOTHERWELL (4-3-3): Kelly 8; O’Donnell 6, Gallagher 7, Lamie 6, McGinley 7; Campbell 7, Crawford 6, Lawless 5 (Maguire 46); Roberts 6 (O’Hara 54), Cole 7, Long 7. Subs not used: Chapman, Carroll, Hastie, Dunne, Cornelius, Foley
Booked: Campbell.
ST MIRREN (3-5-1-1): Alnwick 7; Fraser 6, McCarthy 6, Shaughnessy 6 (Henderson 85); Erhahon 6 (McAllister 73), Flynn 6 (MacPherson 46), Doyle-Hayes 7, Connolly 7, Durmus 7; McGrath 7; Erwin 6 (Dennis 73). Subs not used: Lyness, Tait, Finlayson, Reid. Booked: Erhahon, McCarthy, Shaughnessy.
Man of the match: Liam Kelly. Referee: Kevin Clancy.