Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies made five changes to the team beaten
by Dundee United a fortnight ago - bringing in Grant Murray, David
Lilley, Rhian Dodds, Tim Clancy and Mehdi Taouil.
Motherwell boss Mark McGhee stuck with the starting 11 who beat
Inverness 3-0 two weeks ago.
The visitors had a chance after two minutes when a wind-assisted
free-kick from Stephen Craigan reached McCormack but he sent a dipping
volley over the bar.
That was before both sides settled and attempted to get to grips with
the difficult overhead conditions which saw rain and a swirling wind
engulf Rugby Park around kick-off.
Kilmarnock's best early move arrived after 12 minutes when Danny
Invincibile dispossessed David Clarkson inside his own half.
The midfielder played it inside to Taouil who drove forward but his
pass wide was not quite right for Murray who failed to get the cut-back
into the danger area.
Motherwell forced consecutive corners delivered by McCormack as they
replied with a spell of pressure, but they failed to threaten Alan
Combe's goal.
McCormack then gave a demonstration of his blistering pace when he
clipped the ball down the line and showed a clean pair of heels to
Clancy.
He cut around the assistant referee before seeing his cross
intercepted.
The former Rangers man was at the heart of everything and after 34
minutes took a return pass from a short corner before warming Combe's
gloves with a fizzing drive from the angle of the box.
McGhee's men had a grip of the half by this point, mainly through the
endeavours of McCormack, but just could not find a killer pass.
After 42 minutes Motherwell were almost caught cold in the wintry
conditions when Taouil whistled a shot past Graeme Smith's goal before
Simon Ford headed just wide from a Murray cross.
Motherwell took the lead just a minute after the restart and there
was a huge element of fortune attached to the opener.
A free-kick was repelled to the edge of the box and it broke to
O'Donnell who managed to keep his shot low before it took a wicked
deflection off defender Ford and wrong-footed Combe.
Just seconds later O'Donnell's close-range header from McCormack went
straight to Combe.
Jefferies took almost immediate action and introduced David Fernandez
and Willie Gibson at the expense of Invincibile and Clancy.
On the hour mark the unfortunate Ford clipped a shot over from
Gibson's corner kick and the home side increased the tempo.
Killie's Gary Wales then picked up a yellow card for a clinical foul
to ground McCormack as he burst forward.
There was a lull in proceedings as both teams felt the effects of the
earlier high tempo as Well's Keith Lasley went off injured to be
replaced by Marc Fitzpatrick.
McCormack still looked busy but was not quite as fluent as in the
first half when he had ran amok down the right.
Dodds was the next player to go into referee Steve Conroy's book for
chopping down Mark Reynolds as he threatened to race through on goal.
Visiting goalkeeper Smith was sharp off his line to fist away a
dangerous cross as a Killie onslaught gained momentum.
McCormack was replaced late on to a standing ovation from the
travelling support.
Substitute Aime Koudou had the best chance to nick a point for Killie
at the death but his angled effort was poor and hit the side-netting.
Dodds then blazed over from 30 yards to the jeers of the home support
and the delight of the Motherwell fans.
