Motherwell 2
Dundee Utd 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

Luck was certainly not on our side at Fir Park. Without seven first team regulars we trailed to two fortuitous goals and mounted a late rally which, but for the intervention of the woodwork on a couple of occasions and some wayward finishing, would have salvaged a point.

John Gahagan had the first chance of the match when he ran in on Billy Thomson who blocked his shot well. Ray Farningham then trundled an effort narrowly past the post. On the half hour mark John Clark's flashing header wasn't far off target when he met an laIn Ferguson free-kick. Six minutes later came our best chance of the half. A Jim Mclnally cross to Mixu, who headed back for lain Ferguson whose header was well saved by Duncan.

The opening six minutes of the second half proved disastrous! First, in the 48th minute, Ray Farningham sent in a miss-directed shot, and Steve Cowan stepped forward to side-foot past Billy Thomson. The second goal was equally bizarre. Tom Boyd's well hit drive was totally wayward in direction, until it hit Dave Beaumont's foot and the ball flew past a helpless Billy Thomson. In between those blows, lain Ferguson almost caught 'Well goalie Duncan out, when he floated a free-kick in with the keeper off his line, but the ball went over. Motherwell appeared certain to take both points until Jim Mclnally rattled the crossbar, and that signalled a siege around Motherwell's goal. Paul Kinnaird twice and Dave Bowman both went close before we pulled one back four minutes from the end. Duncan parried a Jim Mclnally shot, but Iain Ferguson pounced quickly to ram the ball into the roof of the net. Before the end Dave Beaumont hit the post as the Motherwell defence just held out.