Moult and McDonald pounce to make the Jags pay
IN this tight scrap for what looks like one spare space in the upper half of the table, it can be easy to count a team a top-six contender one week then a relegation candidate the next.
So here goes. On this evidence, Motherwell are fully deserving of being the team to sit above the line this weekend, while Partick showed worrying signs of being involved in the argument near the foot of the table.
Mark McGhee summed up the state of affairs by making light of the stadium announcer’s final whistle boast that Motherwell had soared into sixth place thanks to goals from the impressive strike partnership of Louis Moult and Scott McDonald.
For their first victory to nil of the season leaves them all of three points clear of Dundee in bottom place.
However, as a sign of well-being for the winter, it was the home side understandably looking up the table rather than behind them last night.
Thistle have nursed complaints about losing late goals and playing well yet dropping points throughout the campaign. On this occasion, they contributed to their own downfall by conceding twice in the first half.
At no point did they appear primed for a stout display on return from the international break as they were plagued by disorganisation, a lack of concentration and the failure of their back three to handle the pairing of Moult and McDonald.
McGhee had trashed his side’s lack of improvisation pre-match, saying that if Thistle stuck with their 3-5-2, Motherwell would match it accordingly because their struggles had come against teams with different set-ups this season.
That proved to be a sound idea as the home side looked comfortable in that formation from the beginning and then took advantage of a communication breakdown after 14 minutes.
Thorsten Stuckmann came to meet McDonald’s cross but Liam Lindsay decided that his goalkeeper needed some help. The collision landed them both on the deck and granted Moult the unmissable opportunity to tap home.
Fair play to the striker whose instincts had placed him in the right spot for the spillage to score for the first time since hitting four against Hamilton on September 17 in an injury disrupted season.
‘Over the last two weeks, Louis has worked extra every single day with James McFadden,’ said McGhee. ‘He’s been running and getting back his strength and it’s paid off. He looks fitter, sharper, hungrier and more aggressive. He was a big part of how we played and deserved his goal.’
A Stuckmann double save from Moult denied the 24-year-old a quick brace but he overcame his personal disappointment to tee up the second.
When McDonald was dragged down by Abdul Osman, the Thistle skipper was fortunate not to concede a penalty.
This did not look like a Motherwell team dwelling on misfortune and, within a matter of seconds of that poor call by referee Andrew Dallas, they had constructed a move that saw Moult return the favour of an assist to McDonald.
The Australian used his class to summon the control and power required to steer Moult’s square ball low to the right of Stuckmann for his sixth goal of the season.
‘I always say to the strikers that it’s their job to make each other better and the goals will come along the way,’ said McGhee. ‘They stayed close and worked well around each other as a pair.’
From Alan Archibald’s point of view, that meant his centre-halves had been ‘bullied’. The Thistle boss said: ‘We couldn’t handle their front two. It’s very simple.
‘We started very slow out of the traps. And we looked like the team playing that formation for the first time in a long while.
‘The formation has worked on the road and at home as well. We’ve had good and positive performances from it but it just didn’t happen out there. When we were on the ball, I thought we were far too pedestrian and easy to play against.’
Archibald brought Kris Doolan on at the break for Ryan Edwards, dropping Chris Erskine back into a creative role. Then Erskine made way for Stevie Lawless and David Amoo replaced Christie Elliot.
No matter the alterations in an attempt to crack the code, Ade Azeez could not open up Motherwell when presented with the chances. He was a much improved worker and leader of the line in the second period.
However, a free header flashed a couple of inches over the bar and he was so wasteful in scooping a wayward shot into the travelling support after producing a splendid turn to create space away from Stephen McManus.
Motherwell played their needy visitors well with men behind the ball then broke in search of a settling third. Chris Cadden grazed the top of the crossbar from 20 yards.
‘We had a flurry and a ten-minute spell where I thought we were in the game, creating a couple of good opportunities,’ said Archibald.
‘You’ve got to take them and we didn’t. Then Motherwell were clinical.’