Grimshaw nets dream return and a Well win
LIVINGSTON 1
Forrest (38)
MOTHERWELL 2
Watt (48), Grimshaw (79)
Liam Grimshaw washed away almost eight months of frustration to seal a dramatic victory for Motherwell and earn the acclaim of his team-mates and manager Graham Alexander.
The former Manchester United trainee netted his first-ever senior goal for a dream winner to put to bed a nightmare spell that saw him floored by glandular fever.
In only his second appearance since January, the 26-year-old was the
Fir Park side’s hero as they completed a second-half comeback to secure their first points of the campaign.
Alan Forrest’s second goal in the space of a week grabbed a first-half breakthrough for Livingston but Tony Watt’s equaliser shortly after the interval gave Well the impetus to go on and win it with Grimshaw’s strike 11 minutes from time.
Alexander said: “The goal meant everything to us all. You could see the way the boys celebrated with him on the pitch, and they are all over him in the dressing room.
“He’s a fantastic lad. We thought it would be his type of game today. We needed his energy and bite in midfield.
“I’ll be honest, we didn’t expect him to come up with the winner!
“But he made a great run into the box off the blindside of his opponent and he gets his luck by getting into the right area. “It’s a great day for him.
“If we can get him three inches from the goal week in week out, he might have a chance to score more!”
There was a freshness about the Fir Park side in initial exchanges as they sought to overcome their Premier Sports defeat to Dundee.
When Mark O’hara chested down expertly and struck a volley wide of the upright, there were only eight minutes on the clock and Livingston were under serious pressure.
The Lions finally found their bite in the 17th minute and had the ball in the net following a free-kick the visitors could not clear. But Ayo Obileye’s strike was ruled out for an earlier foul by Sibbald.
Livingston required stout defending to ensure they kept the Fir Park side out but found some rhythm to their play and got their noses in front seven minutes from the interval.
A long ball forward by skipper Nicky Devlin was seized upon by the busy Bruce Anderson and he meandered his way across the edge of the box.
There was still plenty to do when he shuffled the ball on to Forrest, but the winger shifted the ball swiftly to his left and slid a low shot beyond the despairing dive of Liam Kelly.
The interval interrupted their flow and, within three minutes of the restart, Motherwell had restored parity.
A corner was quickly delivered from the right and Juhani Ojala’s knockdown was headed into the net via the post from close range by Watt.
Midway through the half there was a moment of huge controversy.
Watt lofted a high ball through the middle that caused panic in the home defence and tempted Max Stryjek from his line. He collided with Sean Kelly before appearing to land heavily on the substitute.
With the ball falling to Justin Amaluzor, albeit with Livi defenders in attendance, and the goal unguarded, referee Craig Napier stopped play.
But, minutes later, Well surged in front.
Watt engineered space on the left side of the area for a low shot that he reversed into the bottom left of the goal. Stryjek brilliantly clawed the ball away but Grimshaw was first to the rebound to flash it high into the net from close range.