Boyd wonder hit is a sucker punch

MOTHERWELL 0 KILMARNOCK 1 Subs: Ferguson for Kemas 65, Russell for Cowan 85.

Not used: Fagan, Kinniburgh.

Booked: MacDonald 73.

Referee: K Clark.

Subs: McSwegan for Di Giacomo 80, Sanjuan for Fulton 84, Hay for Murray 87.

Not used: Meldrum, Quitongo.

Booked: Innes 29, Dillon 70.

Attendance: 4,439.

BEATING Celtic seemed like such a good idea at the time. Yesterday, the jinx that has followed Motherwell ever since that epic 2-1 victory over Martin O'Neill's side deepened still further as the Lanarkshire side surrendered an injury-time goal from a Kris Boyd free-kick, which kept them bottom of the Premierleague, and extended their sequence to just one point from the last 24 available since that game. There was some symbolic justice in the fact that it was a Kilmarnock side who conceded an injury-time goal against Dundee United last week that inflicted the misery.

But for most of the game, neutral observers were merely given cause to wish that the form book really had gone out of the window. The visitors' recent results had been scarcely better than their hosts, with only two points being carved out from their last seven games. And for all that Kilmarnock looked the marginally more dangerous side throughout, this dismal encounter between two sides low in confidence always looked destined to finish goalless.

When Stephen Pearson halted Garry Hay's lively run 25 yards from goal, no-one expected the sublime to follow the ridiculous. But Boyd stepped up, found a space in the wall and drove a low curling shot into the bottom right-hand corner. Afterwards, the Scotland under-21 striker reflected that for all that he was glad that his fifth of the season had given his side a long awaited win bonus, it owed more to desperation than dedication on the training ground. "I had done nothing for 89 minutes, so I thought I might as well try to do something," he said. "We have got the points so I am not bothered with the way it came."

Boyd's verdict about his earlier exploits was perhaps a little harsh, because he had almost converted Kilmarnock's two best chances of the match up to that point.

Stevie Woods paid the price for Motherwell's recent dismal recent defensive record, dropping to the bench to be replaced by Francois Doubourdeau, but the French goalkeeper, who was brought to the club by Eric Black from Metz, would be entitled to think he had earned his man-of-the-match champagne when he got a leg in the way of Boyd's drilled finish from an Alan Mahood pass just after the hour. Boyd was also culpable when he failed to convert substitute Gary McSwegan's cross minutes before the end.

Perhaps that is why Jim Jefferies seemed particularly chuffed with the points his side had earned, not to mention the performances of defenders Greg Shields and Chris Innes in a team shorn of eight first- team regulars. "Anybody who was at the game last week could see that we played quite well so the players were looking forward to this week to try and put it right. The late goal was maybe harsh on Motherwell but I thought we deserved it."

His opposite number was content to look on to next Saturday's visit of Dundee United to Fir Park and hope that there is some revenge. "If football has any logic to it then we will win next week in the last minute," he said. More arrivals were also planned to pad out his threadbare squad, which was missing James McFadden and Scott Leitch yesterday. "We've got people that we would like to bring in, we just need to sit down with administrators PKF and see what we can do."

James Fowler had come in for the visitors at the expense of dead- leg victim Frederic Dindeleux, as Kilmarnock reverted to a 4-4-2 shape. Paul di Giacomo was first to threaten, firing narrowly wide from 16 yards after he worked a neat one-two with Boyd.

Chances were few and far between, but they were cropping up at both ends, Gordon Marshall getting down in instalments to prevent a Derek Adams shot going in with a Steve Fulton deflection.

Things improved marginally as the second half started, when Motherwell had their best chance of the game. Martyn Corrigan had a couple of storming breaks from the back, but the hosts' best opportunity came and went when Steven Ferguson skewed in a shot, after a strong run down the right flank. It would have hit the corner flag had Dirk Lehmann not been alert enough to direct it towards goal. Marshall was beaten, but the ball landed on the roof of the net.

And that was that, before Boyd's injury-time winner to leave the Lanarkshire side even more down on their luck than before. If John Boyle is really planning to take over the day- to-day running of the club once more, he will have to start putting his hands in his pocket again.

Copyright 2002
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