For the 4th year in a row
Killie's final Rugby Park fixture prior to Xmas produced no Christmas
Cheer for Ayrshire's finest!
Jim
Jefferies' side suffered an early blow when in-form Paul Di Giacomo (right)had
to be replaced by Gary Wales in the fourth minute after the former
suffered a facial injury when he was caught accidentally in the face by
Stephen Craigan's elbow as the Motherwell defender cleared his lines.
It was Wales'
first action at any level of football since he picked up a hamstring
injury in the CIS Cup game against Motherwell at the start of November.
But he showed
few signs of lingering rust, pouncing on a rare mistake by Reynolds in
the ninth minute and forcing a smart save from Graeme Smith, who had
been recalled in place of the injured Colin Meldrum in Motherwell's
goal.
Foran produced
the visitors' first effort a minute later, a rising volley from the edge
of the box after the Killie defence failed to deal with a clever chip
from Brian Kerr.
In the 15th
minute Foran made no mistake when he fired Malpas' side ahead from close
range after fine work from Scott McDonald on the goalline, the Australia
striker outmuscling Hay before producing an inviting cross which the
Irishman could not fail to convert.
Five minutes
later the visitors doubled their lead following a slick passing move
which ended with McDonald teeing up Paterson, whose shot was deflected
past hapless Kilmarnock goalkeeper Graeme Smith.
Inevitably,
Killie poured forward in search of a way back into the game but they
struggled to find a chink in Motherwell's previously porous defence.
The visitors
remained dangerous on the counter-attack too and, with Killie defender
Grant Murray receiving treatment for a facial injury, Calum Elliot broke
clear following a Killie corner in search of a third for the Steelmen.
Fortunately
for Jefferies' side, midfielder Danny Invincibile was alert to the
threat and the Australian blocked the shot from the Well striker -
recalled at the expense of Clarkson - with a terrific sliding tackle.
Within
seconds Killie went up the other end and Stephen Naismith,
who had barely touched the ball to that point, got his side back into
the game with a wonderful 25-yard strike in the 39th minute which
swerved in the air and beat Smith.
After a quiet
opening to the second period the game erupted into life in the 56th
minute when Paterson, booked in the first half for a crude challenge on
Invincibile, was shown a second yellow card by referee Brian Winter for
delaying the taking of a throw-in.
Malpas
reacted by bringing on former Celtic reserve midfielder Kevin McBride in
place of on-loan Hearts forward Elliot, with Marc Fitzpatrick moving
into the left-back berth Paterson had vacated.
The Steelmen
reorganised themselves impressively and Killie's only moment of
inspiration in the 10 minutes following Paterson's dismissal was a
cushioned header from Colin Nish into Allan Johnston's path which the
former Scotland midfielder dragged wide.
In the 76th
minute Killie carved out their best chance of the half, Nish's flicked
header finding Gordon Greer but the right-back screwed his effort
horribly wide of the Motherwell goal.
Johnston
wasted his second opening of the half with six minutes left, blasting
over with uncharacteristic clumsiness from the edge of the box after
being set up by Naismith.
It was
Killie's last chance to salvage anything from the match as Motherwell
became the first non-Old Firm side to win at Rugby Park since George
Burley's Hearts at the start of last season.
And the game ended in
chaos when Hay was sent off in time added on for raising his hands at
Clarkson, who was then also sent off for reacting at the Killie captain.
Sandy's Match Pic's are
HERE
38 mins
