Motherwell 0 - 2 Kilmarnock: Kilmarnock pile more misery on McGhee

KILMARNOCK last night re-ignited their ambitions of a top-six finish in the SPL with a victory which saw Motherwell plunge to second bottom of the table in front of their lowest home attendance of the season.

Mark McGhee's stuttering side have taken just one point from their last six games and their status as best of the rest from last season is an ever-dimming memory as they now face what is a relegation battle against their Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Accies at New Douglas Park on Saturday.

Manuel Pascali's first-half header and a smart finish from Allan Russell, the former Airdrie United striker's first goal for Kilmarnock, earned a welcome win for Jim Jefferies' team who are now just two points off the top six pace.

The swathes of empty seats around Fir Park told their own story with Monday night football clearly not an attraction in the minds of many supporters. Even those who opted to watch the game on television might have found it difficult to resist channel-hopping as the action which unfolded was decent, but hardly gripping.

Kilmarnock, already deprived of much of their pace and flair as a consequence of the unavailability of Medhi Taouil, David Fernandez and Craig Bryson, did well to react as positively as they did to the loss of another of their more creative players, Danny Invincibile, after just 30 minutes.

The Australian appeared in considerable distress after suffering a head injury in an accidental clash with John Sutton. After a lengthy stoppage to administer treatment, he was led away on a stretcher and replaced by Iain Flannigan.

If Motherwell might have been expected to seize the initiative at this stage, however, it was the visitors who made the breakthrough ten minutes before the interval. Steven Saunders, a 17-year-old defender signed from Queen's Park last summer, was making his first starting appearance for Motherwell as deputy for the suspended Paul Quinn.

The teenager made a terrific penalty area tackle to dispossess Donovan Simmonds just as the striker prepared to shoot, but from the corner conceded in the process Kilmarnock scored. Gavin Skelton floated the ball in from the right to pick out Pascali, the Italian making the most of the space afforded him by the home defence to guide his header beyond Graeme Smith.

While the goal did not exactly come against the run of play, Motherwell had created the best opportunities beforehand which only added to the frustration of the home fans who jeered their team off at half-time.

Chris Porter came close to an early opener, playing a neat 1-2 with Sutton before driving his powerful shot narrowly off target. Porter should then have done better when he latched onto an excellent through ball from Keith Lasley, but this time the striker allowed himself to be muscled off the ball by Garry Hay who managed to toe it behind for a corner.

Motherwell threatened again when Steven Hammell's pass sent Sutton clear but after a fine first touch had helped him take the ball around Kilmarnock 'keeper Alan Combe, the Englishman shanked his shot horribly with the goal at his mercy. In the closing stages of the first half, Motherwell enjoyed considerable territorial advantage as they pressed for an equaliser but it was Kilmarnock who came closest to scoring again before the break when Flannigan's low shot on the turn was held by Smith.

Skelton provided Smith with another test at the start of the second half, the 'keeper getting down well to his left to keep out the midfielder's rasping drive from 22 yards. Motherwell lacked both mobility and imagination in the final third of the field and McGhee made his first change of the night after 55 minutes, sending on teenager Jamie Murphy for the toiling Sutton.

There was at least an increased sense of urgency from the home players and they were unfortunate not to equalise when Porter drove in a terrific shot from the edge of the penalty area. The ball took a slight deflection to add to the degree of difficulty for Combe but the Kilmarnock keeper was up to the task, throwing out his right hand to divert it onto the crossbar.

McGhee committed more players into attack when he replaced Bob Malcolm with former Celtic winger Jim O'Brien, and Combe made another fine save as the pressure was stepped up. Porter, however, should have given the 'keeper no chance from close range after a shot from Stephen Hughes was deflected kindly into his path. It proved a costly miss as Kilmarnock doubled their advantage with 13 minutes remaining. Jamie Hamill, who had delivered a solid if unspectacular shift in midfield, nodded the ball through to Russell who burst into the penalty area and drove a precise low shot across Smith and into the corner of the net.

Motherwell (4-4-2): G Smith, Saunders, Reynolds, Klimpl, Hammell; Lasley, Hughes, Malcolm (O'Brien 64), McGarry (D Smith 82); Porter, Sutton (Murphy 55). Subs not used: Nielsen, Fitzpatrick, McHugh, Hutchison.

Kilmarnock (4-4-2): Combe, Murray, Pascali, Wright, Hay; Invincibile (Flannigan 31), Fowler, Hamill, Skelton; Russell (Sammon 86), Simmonds. Subs not used: Rascle, Locke, Corrigan, Clancy, Nolan.