Magic Moult makes the difference again
LOUIS Moult proved that it really doesn’t matter how you score as long as they go in.
The Englishman came up with a priceless goal off his shoulder to win the Lanarkshire derby.
Motherwell have scored six goals against Hamilton this season and they’ve all come from Moult.
The game could have gone either way when the 24- year- old made contact with a Frear cross and sent the ball looping past Remi Matthews.
It means the Steelmen are now out of the play- off spot and three points ahead of Accies.
Their fate is in their own hands and victories against Kilmarnock and Inverness Caley will guarantee their safety.
Fir Park defender Carl McHugh was quick to pay tribute to Moult’s contribution.
He said: “When the game’s tight — and it was a terrible game — and there’s a lot on the line, you need someone like Louis with that extra something to get you over the line.
“When we drew 0-0 with Accies last month, Moulty missed the game. We’d have won it if he was there. He makes the difference. He has the knack of being in the right place.
“We’ve not had enough goals from elsewhere in the team this season, that’s why we’re down here, but he came up trumps.
“We’re delighted the club turned down offers for him in January.
“His goals are invaluable. If we get over the line and stay up, he’ll have played a massive part.”
This was always going to be a tension-filled afternoon and referee Kevin Clancy did nothing to calm things.
After being fairly lenient for the first halfhour, he started waving cards about with gay abandon.
The first- half ended with no goals on the board but Motherwell ahead 4- 2 on bookings.
Clancy eventually took 10 names in a inconsistent performance.
This was football in the raw — two sides scrapping for survival with countless crunching tackles and full-blooded clearances.
The home fans were still laughing at the news about trains back to Motherwell being cancelled because of flooding when the Steelmen went ahead.
If ever there was a case of ‘He who laughs last, laughs longest’, this was it.
Russell Griffiths had produced a brilliant stop just after half-time to keep Motherwell on level terms.
The 21- year- old, on loan from Everton, leapt acrobatically to stop a D’Acol snap shot from close range.
It was one of those moments that can define a season.
Accies boss Martin Canning lamented his side’s defending.
He said: “We switched off at a set piece — which has happened so many times this season.
“In the last three games we’ve lost five goals from set pieces.
“It leaves us in the same position. We had to win two games and we still do.
“It’s out of our hands but we need to beat Ross County and then beat Dundee and hope that’s enough.
“It’s not nice to hear abuse from the stand, but it’s happened throughout the course of the season at different moments and it happened last season.
“You can see it’s not a lack of effort that’s costing us. It’s not because we haven’t put the work in.”
Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson was a much happier man.
He said: “We were well aware of the consequences of not picking up a point and what the benefits of winning were
“Psychologically, it’s massive for us.”