Two unchanged sides faced each other in the third last match of the season – Motherwell were playing for pride and points but Caley Thistle had much more at stake.
In the end honours were even but this was not enough for the visitors to be sure of SPL safety.
Alternative Maryhill saw this one:
Bit of a frustrating night. I can't help feeling it's two points thrown away even though I would have taken a point before the game.
The first half was very similar to Sunday's game: we stared brightly then seemed to lose our way a bit in midfield after the first 15-20 minutes. Some of the passing was really awful from the central midfielders, and although I don't really want to single him out, Lionel looked like a rabbit in headlights on a few occasions and had a few heartstoppingly bad sclaffs at balls coming into him. The Motherwell opener was a header at the left hand post, but I didn't pick up who (if anyone) was at fault among our defenders. I remember our equaliser clearly though - Imrie hit the bye-line, put it past the left back and cut it back for Morais to finish coolly. A lovely move, and it was great to see Imrie find the confidence to do that - I was worried that he was just going to fade out of the game like he did on Saturday, and instead he went on to have one of his best matches for a while.
Second half was vastly improved - Butcher clearly had a word at half time and I felt we dominated throughout the half. Brian Kerr in particular worked his @rse off, and Morais and Imrie look like they could be the most effective forward line we have had in a long time. We fully deserved to go ahead and the second Motherwell goal was well against the run of play. One thing I don't understand is why Butcher chose to put Barrowman on when Morais came off - if he was intent on trying to defend the lead, why not put on an attacker with real pace (i.e. Odhiambo) as a counterattacking outlet? We lost our lead within minutes of Barrowman coming on (not his fault, obviously) and suddenly found ourselves without a cutting edge up front when we most needed one. Still, though, while we're not the most attractive footballing side, we don't look like a team destined to go down either.
There was a pretty respectable support for us considering it is a Wednesday night, and plenty of vocal support an encouragement. The Motherwell support was woeful though - less than 3,000 in the crowd altogether, which I suspect may be the lowest SPL attendance of the season?
| 13th May 2009 - 19:45 | Fir Park, Motherwell |
|
MOTHERWELL |
2 - McLean (26), Sutton (79) |
|
Team: Smith, McLean, Reynolds, Hammell, Lasley (Klimpl53), Hughes, Quinn, O'Brien, Murphy(Fitzpatrick73), Sheridan(Sutton66), Clarkson Subs - Krysiak, Hutchinson, Malcolm, McGarry |
|
|
INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC |
2 - Morais (40), Imrie (56) |
|
Team: Fraser, Proctor, Tokely, Munro Subs - Esson, Rooney, Odhiambo, Mihadjuks, Vigurs, Morrison |
|
| Referee | Dougie McDonald |
| Attendance | 2818 |
| Man of the Match | ? |
, Djebi-Zadi, McBain, Black, Kerr, Foran
Nothing was on target until the home side took a 26th minute lead. Stevie Hammell sent in a curling corner from the right and Brian McLean headed in at the near post.
Three minutes later it was 1-1 when Dougie Imrie did well to find space on the right bye-line and cut it back for Filipe Morais to volley home from 10 yards.
Early in the second half Morais came close to number two when he forced a fine save from Graeme Smith. The visitors made it 2-1 in 55 minutes when Lionel Djebi-Zadi sent a cross in from the left and Dougie Imrie hit it first time past Smith off the bar.
Hopes of an ICT victory were dashed eleven minutes from time when a David Clarkson low ball from the right was touched on by Maros Klimpl and John Sutton netted from a few yards out. Caley Thistle pushed hard right to the end and Richie Foran thought he had scored a winner but a goal-line clearance denied him despite protests that the ball had crossed the line.
It ended 2-2, a welcome point against Motherwell after six defeats in a row to them, but bitter disappointment that it was not a victory. The bottom five clubs shuffled their positions as Kilmarnock beat St Mirren, Hamilton lost to Falkirk and ICT took a point at Motherwell.
With two games left it is all very tight and any one of five teams could go down. St Mirren prop up the league on 34 points, Falkirk have 35, ICT are on 37 and both Kilmarnock and Hamilton are on 38.
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