Turnbull tornado grabs crucial win
Robbo’s relief at first Fir Park victory of campaign
Ross Thomson
Stephen Robinson saw his decision to put faith in the club’s youngsters proved right after David Turnbull earned Motherwell a second crucial win in four days.
The midfielder’s strike into the top corner in the 69th minute earned a 1-0 win and moved Motherwell eight points clear of the bottom side.
“He’s a talented boy,” Motherwell manager Robinson said.
“We won’t get too carried away yet – he is still in the very early stages of his career – but he has a massive talent.
“He needs to be managed, as all young boys do, and we have a few more to come as well.
“I don’t think there was ever any doubt about his temperament. He is so unfazed by things.
“Sometimes when things aren’t going well the younger boys are very unaffected by it.
“The older boys worry a little bit more because they have been part of it and know the consequences.
“David has gone in with a freedom, played with a freedom.”
There was a hectic start inside the opening 60 seconds when Kenny Miller’s low cross was swept away by Carl Mchugh and play raged to the other end, where Chris Cadden set up Motherwell have not kept two clean sheets in a row since the end of last season when they kept out Hamilton and Partick ’s strikers. Davidturnbull’s Man of the Match performance added to his stunning 69th minute strike. Gael Bigirimama and his effort was beaten out by Jack Hamilton in the Dundee goal. Dundee almost took the lead on 11 minutes. Calvin Miller swung in a cross and Darren O’dea powered in a header that crashed back off the underside of the bar before being hacked clear by Mchugh. Miller then went down in the box as he shielded the ball from Tom Aldred and Dundee screamed for a spotkick but referee Don Robertson was unmoved by the appeals. It was Motherwell’s turn to shout for a penalty just after the restart when O’dea slid in and won the ball cleanly as Curtis Main advanced in the area. Motherwell came within a whisker of the opener on 58 minutes when Cadden crossed from the right and Ryan Bowman flashed a header wide. Bowman then wasted a good opportunity when he latched on to Turnbull’s pass and opted to shoot from an angle when he should have squared it to substitute Danny Johnson for a tap-in. It was going to take something special to break the deadlock and Turnbull stepped up on cue on 69 minutes to provide it. The Steelmen created a number of good chances and should have won by more goals.
The teenage midfielder unleashed a superb 30-yard screamer that exploded into the top right hand corner of Hamilton’s net.
Motherwell travel to Ibrox this Sunday and Robinson insists his side will have a go at Steven Gerrard’s side.
He said: “That completed a very good week’s work.
“We can go to Ibrox next weekend with confidence now.
“We’ve played Rangers once already and drawn with them but our players have now earned the right to go there and have a right go at them.
“After that we have Aberdeen and it gives us a chance to close the gap on them.
“If we can keep playing like this and, crucially, keep defending like we did, then we can keep climbing the table.” Hearts Celtic Rangers Kilmarnock St Johnstone Hibernian Aberdeen Livingston MOTHERWELL Hamilton Accies St Mirren Dundee P WDL 12 8 2 2 11 8 1 2 11 6 3 2 12 6 3 3 12 6 2 4 11 5 3 3 11 5 3 3 11 5 3 3 11 3 2 6 12 3 1 8 12 1 1 10 12 1 0 11 PTS 26 25 21 21 20 18 18 18 11 10 4 3
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