Morton give Motherwell an extra-time scare
SCOTTISH CUP
MOTHERWELL
O’donnell 120
GREENOCK MORTON
1
1
Fjortoft 120
AET. Motherwell win 5-3 on pens
Stephen O'donnell scored the winning penalty as Motherwell scraped past Morton in the Scottish Cup moments after the right-back appeared to have won the game in extra-time.
The right-back opened the scoring from 25 yards seven seconds from the 120-minute mark but the visitors levelled in stoppage-time when Markus Fjortoft headed home unchallenged from a corner.
Liam Kelly produced the only save of the shoot-out to deny Sean Mcginty and O'donnell kept his nerve to seal it 5-3 days after signing a new contract.
Morton had the best of the scarce chances in normal time before the game came to life in extra-time and Motherwell booked a trip to face Stranraer or Hibernian in the quarter-finals.
The Greenock side have only recorded two wins in 16
Championship games and are sitting in the relegation playoff zone but interim manager Gus Macpherson had guided them past Dunfermline and East Fife and into the last 16.
The former St Mirren boss enjoyed three cup wins against Motherwell during his Paisley days including a Scottish Cup triumph as a First Division side and his side more than held their own in the opening stages.
Robbie Muirhead and Aidan Nesbitt linked up well on several occasions and Morton had by far the best chance of thehalfwhenreecelyonwas denied in front of goal. After a goalless 90 minutes, it wasn’t until late in the second period extra-time that the contest really burst into life.
Morton’s Lewis Strapp could not direct his header on target after beating Kelly to Craig Mcguffie's cross, before Motherwell had a penalty claim denied when Mcginty appeared to clip Jake Hastie's heels.
Aidanmcadamspulledoffa great stop from a Steven Lawless header before O'donnell fired into the bottom corner from 25 yards. The Motherwell celebrations were halted – albeit temporarily – when Fjortoft incredibly levelled.