Hammell hoping for reinforcements as Killie battle back
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MOTHERWELL manager Steven Hammell admits he’s still looking to bring in “at least” a couple of new faces after watching his side throw away a lead to lose at Kilmarnock.
Kevin van Veen’s fourth goal in five Premiership games had the visitors ahead, but they were unable to weather a furious Killie fightback and their newly appointed boss is looking to address some glaring needs over the last few days of the transfer window.
Hammell said: “We’ll bring in a couple at least in the last few days, I think we need that – especially at the top end of the pitch. We had every attacking player we’ve got on the pitch – still, we need a little bit more, we need to be more clinical and cleaner in the final third and that’s hopefully something we can address in the next few days.”
It had started so well for his side on a sunny afternoon in East Ayrshire, with Van Veen putting the Steelmen ahead inside the first 15 minutes.
A lack of pressure in the Kilmarnock midfield left Blair Spittal with plenty of time to pick out a pass and he slid one into the space behind the home backline for Van Veen. The Dutchman was under pressure but dinked the ball over the onrushing Walker and into the far corner. The setback seemed to inject some life into McInnes’s men but they struggled to test Liam Kelly, Shaw seeing a shot blocked and Lafferty scuffing over on the half-volley from a decent position.
New signing Ben Chrisene, described as “an absolute dream” by his manager after the final whistle, came within inches of a debut goal. Some good interplay between Shaw and Lafferty unleased the Aston Villa loanee whose shot beat the goalkeeper but cannoned back off the underside of the crossbar, with Lafferty miscuing the follow-up.
Killie were ramping up the pressure as half-time approached, with Shaw’s effort deflected wide for a corner as Kelly scrambled across his goalline.
They started the second half much as they’d ended the first,
Daniel Armstrong going close after a ball dropped in behind the defence by Alan Power.
It was the story of Killie’s afternoon, with Shaw blazing over Kelly’s crossbar after being played through one-onone by Polworth – drawing howls of frustration from the Rugby Park stands.
After a double change Killie finally got the goal they’d been threatening all afternoon, though its execution was perhaps illustrative of their struggle to make Kelly work. A clever ball over the top from sub Fraser Murray found Armstrong, but he looked to have spurned the chance as he stumbled when trying to strike. Fortunately for the winger the ball landed kindly and he was able to scramble to his feet and poke home.
That forced Motherwell out of their defensive shell and Sam Walker had to be at full stretch to deny Ross Tierney after Polworth’s inadvisable intervention led to a counter-attack. The midfielder would make up for it, however.
A free-kick in front of McInnes’s dugout gave the former Motherwell man a chance to whip one in from deep and his delivery was inch-perfect to find Ash Taylor at the back post for a stooping header that left Kelly with no chance.
The Killie boss said after the match: “I’ve seen a lot of Premiership football this year and I thought we looked a good Premiership team.
“It would have been easy for the players, missing chance after chance in that second half, to think it wasn’t going to go our way. So good on them for sticking with it.”