‘Motherwell Boi’ Dean comes of age in win
MOTHERWELL........................................2 ST JOHNSTONE......................................0 Paul Thomson at Fir Park
Motherwell gaffer Graham Alexander heaped praise on Dean Cornelius after the youngster realised a childhood dream by bagging his first goal for the club.
The Fir Park academy product was named man of the match in the 2-0 win over St Johnstone after opening the scoring with a sweet half volley inside 17 minutes, before Kevin van Veen made sure of the points in the second half to put them fourth in the Premiership.
Cornelius grew up cheering on his team from the stands and as one of the band of ‘Motherwell Bois’ in the John Hunter stand, it will have been a surreal moment for the 20-year-old midfielder celebrating his opener with them. He also got to keep his match shirt as a memento.
And the significance of the goal wasn’t lost on Alexander, who believes the club have a talent on their hands.
He said: “It was his first start at home and it was a great way to mark it.
“It was a fantastic finish.
“He is a Motherwell fan and I saw a video of him the other day in the stand as an eight-year-old wearing his kit. He loves the club. That is brilliant and that is what this club is all about - turning out boys through the academy system.
“We just felt the type of game would suit him and the midfield three.
“He gives us all the things we want in there and he is a good footballer.
“You saw that with his strike for the goal and he could have had another in the second half.
“He trains exceptionally well every day and we know what a good player he could possibly be.
“But he’s still got a lot to learn and a lot to improve on. I know he will put all the work in to make that happen.”
The Steelmen had a comfortable afternoon as they were rarely troubled by struggling Saints, who have now lost six games on the bounce.
But Alexander dismissed the suggestion it was a straightforward win for his side.
He added: “It was hard fought all the way through but the second goal came at a good time for us.
“I thought we managed the game in good fashion after that point. We didn’t give them the opportunity to get back into the game, which pleased me.
“They don’t give up games and I thought we were brilliant to stay on the front foot and manage the game in the way we did.”