Motherwell delivered a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock to send their fans home happy after the last game of the season at Fir Park.
In the end it was a convincing win for Motherwell and there was even space for a late substitution to enable a standing ovation for Lennon Miller in what most suppose was his last outing in claret and amber at Fir Park.
The game turned when Miller was fouled by Robbie Deas at the edge of the penalty area. Referee Duncan Nicolson was persuaded to reconsider his inintal yellow card and Deas left the pitch after half an hour.
Neither side had controlled the game until that point and there had been little goal mouth action to interest the 5,000 fans.
Kilmarnock adjusted to their shortage and almost invited Motherwell to break them down. They hoped for the odd breakaway to snatch a goal. There best chance came from a brilliant Danny Armstrong free kick just before the break but Aston Oxborough at full stretch saved the day,
Motherwell settled into the puzzle of finding a way through the stubborn defence and it took almost fifty minutes before the breakthrough. Luke Armstrong had replaced Harry Paton at the break and his energy was a welcome boost but the ‘Well build up play was a bit pedestrian.
The constant pressure on the Cooper end goal bore fruit when Stephen O’Donnell curled a long ball deep into the area. Armstrong rose to head the ball into the net. The Killie bubble had burst and therw was no way back.
A gem of a goal followed five minutes later when Armstrong and Moses Ebiye combined with neat footwork to set up Calum Slattery for a well placed delivery to O’Hara’s left.
The cheers had just faded when Armstrong popped up with a powerful shot that the ‘keeper could not hold. Three up and the game was easy.
The players took their well earned plaudits and a wee turn round the pitch. Miller was last down the tunnel.
Eighth place is now secure and seventh still open with favourable results on Sunday’s finale.
Motherwell 3 Kilmarnock 0
Attendance 4,941
Team: Oxborough, O’Donnell, Seddon, Casey, Wilson, Halliday, Sparrow (Thompson 77), Slattery (Dickson 87), Paton (Armstrong 45), Miller (Zdravkovski 87), Watt (Ebiye 62)
Wednesday 14 May 2025