The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
St Johnstone handed a lesson in finishing.
MOTHERWELL 2 ST JOHNSTONE 0: Lack of consistency worries Wright
St Johnstone have brought a lot of points home from Motherwell in recent years but it was a barren night at Fir Park on this occasion, the 2-0 defeat extending their losing run in the league to four games.
The Perth side are winless in the Premiership for six matches and they remain just three points above the play-off position and six ahead of bottom club Ross County.
Tommy Wright admitted that Saints are now “in a scrap” after seeing a worrying second half slump.
He said: “We should have taken the lead and we played some nice stuff in some good areas. At half-time I’ve got to be the happier of the two managers.
“We can talk and warn them about a reaction because they’re the home team and won’t be happy with their performance.
“But it’s the old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. That was evident in the second half. It wasn’t good enough. They know it wasn’t good enough.
“We allowed Motherwell to get on the front foot because we didn’t do the basics right.
“It was a long second half and I’m extremely disappointed that again we’ve turned an encouraging position into a negative one.
“It’s nearly beyond belief how they can go from what they did in the first half to what they did in the second half.”
Wright, who reported that Stefan Scougall will have his knee and ankle assessed after going off injured in the first half, added: “What was worrying was I didn’t see many leaders out there.
“After Tynecastle there was a lot of positives but that second half performance has left a bitter taste.
“That 90 minutes sums up our season – the lack of consistency from one 45 to another 45. That’s been the case since game five.
“Yes, we’re in a scrap. I hope we’re ready for it.”
MOTHERWELL 2 ST JOHNSTONE 0
Early promise came to nought for St Johnstone as one of their games in hand was chalked off without any more distance being put between themselves and the teams below.
For all the encouragement 20 minutes’ worth of territorial dominance gave the McDiarmid Park side on the back of a recent uplift in form, there was little in the way of clear-cut chances to show for it, let alone goals.
And when Motherwell got into their stride in the second half they showed the difference a bit of clinical finishing makes to a team.
There were three changes to the Saints side that was unlucky to go down to a 1-0 defeat against Hearts on Saturday, with Blair Alston, Steven MacLean and Stefan Scougall starting.
Tommy Wright deployed the 3-5-2 formation that served him well in their last two matches.
Scougall was in the middle of the pitch – where he is most at home – and came close to scoring just three minutes in.
MacLean and Chris Kane combined to present the playmaker with a shooting chance just inside the box and he would have been disappointed that his low strike was too close to keeper Trevor Carson.
One of the benefits of the wing-back system is the freedom Richard Foster gets to push forward and when he was picked out on the overlap, the cross that came over from the right touchline was a decent one.
Unfortunately for Saints, though, there was nobody attacking the near post and the ball flew across the six-yard box untouched.
It was pretty much one-way traffic in the opening stages and Kane had an opportunity to turn and shoot on the penalty spot after 10 minutes. The scuffed shot was never likely to get the better of Carson, however.
The nearest the hosts came to scoring in this period was a Curtis Main longrange shot that took a deflection before dropping over the bar.
A changed was forced upon Wright after 20 minutes when Scougall went down injured at the corner of Saints’ box and had to be helped off. Matty Willock came on in his place.
By the mid-way point of the first half the contest had become a more even one and Alan Mannus was forced into making a good save from a Main shot after a miscued Cedric Kipre effort had fallen nicely for him.
There was no doubting who had been Motherwell’s star man. On 35 minutes Main skipped past the challenge of Joe Shaughnessy just outside the box and his shot had Mannus beaten but hit the top of the bar.
It had been some time since Saints last threatened but Scott Tanser came up with a shot on target a couple of minutes later, albeit one that was comfortably kept out by Carson.
A trip on Murray Davidson at the edge of the box presented a great opportunity just before the break but, after Steven Anderson was sent back to the halfway line by his manager when he got ready to take the set-piece, Blair Alston beat the wall but couldn’t beat Carson.
Nadir Ciftci earned a corner for Motherwell shortly after the restart. Mannus punched the inswinger clear but the ball was soon returned into his box and was very close to ending up in the back of his net when a square pass from Main flashed across goal.
The January signing was again at the heart of the action when a first time shot was dragged past the post, arguably his best chance of the night so far.
Well, actually his best chance for four minutes, because when Ciftci put Main through one-on-one with Mannus, the ex-Portsmouth striker should have scored. It was a fine save, though.
Just after the hour Chris Cadden made a strong run, cutting in from the right before shooting over from 20 yards.
The way the game was now panning out, it came as no great shock when Motherwell broke the deadlock on 64 minutes.
Andy Rose drilled the ball low into the danger area from the left side of the box and Alan Campbell timed his run to perfection to slide in and put away the cross.
Nothing had been happening up front for Saints in the second half and Wright sent on Denny Johnstone for MacLean after the goal.
Things were certainly happening at the other end and Main got a wellearned goal on 70 minutes, his first-time left-foot shot beating Mannus in the keeper’s bottom left corner.
Alston came close with a late shot but Motherwell saw the game out without any other scares.