Jim Jefferies began the match at Fir Park with the team which had
finished Kilmarnock's 2-1 victory at home to Dundee United.
Midfielder Rhian Dodds and forward Gary Wales dropped to the bench to
make way for David Fernandez and Willie Gibson, the players who replaced
them at Rugby Park on Monday.
Also among the substitutes for Killie was Danny Invincibile, who had
recovered from groin surgery.
The home side always looked the likelier scorers, and took the lead
after 22 minutes when Lasley squared for Clarkson, arriving on the right
side of the box, and he netted a cool diagonal finish.
Motherwell came close to a second goal four minutes later when Jim
Paterson curled a 22-yard free kick wide of the right-hand post after
Porter had been fouled by Frazer Wright.
The Fir Park side missed an amazing chance to make it 2-0 just before
the half-hour when Steven McGarry fired in a cross from the left.
Porter and Clarkson both failed to connect on the six-yard line but
the latter sent the ball fizzing back across the face of goal, where
Porter and McGarry again slid in but missed the chance to fire home.
Kilmarnock had a half-chance when Gibson crossed for Colin Nish whose
header sneaked wide.
Marc Fitzpatrick's header had visiting goalkeeper Alan Combe
scrambling to make sure it went over the top right corner, and the home
side had a series of further forays into the Kilmarnock box before the
interval.
Jamie Hamill earned a booking five minutes from the interval for
bringing down Clarkson just outside the box after the scorer had played
a well-worked one-two with McGarry and rounded the defence.
Motherwell began the second half well with Clarkson tearing down the
left flank to meet a Fitzpatrick pass.
He
rounded Combe at the side of the box but none of his team-mates were
able to turn in his cross.
The home side came to regret not making more of their first-half
dominance when Kilmarnock equalised on the hour from their first corner
of the game.
Substitute Gary Locke swung the ball across from the right and
David Lilley (right) headed in at the back post.
Substitute McCormack fired in a free-kick and Clarkson's stooping
header went wide, while Combe made an excellent block as Paul Quinn slid
on the right to meet McCormack's precisely-threaded long-range pass.
Quinn then received the ball in midfield on 68 minutes and played in
Porter, who fired into the side-netting.
Kilmarnock enjoyed more pressure and possession in the closing
stages.
Stephen Craigan had to be alert to sweep the ball away from Naismith
in the box and home goalkeeper Graeme Smith was forced to turn Hamill's
shot wide.
Combe leapt to block Fitzpatrick's effort from Clarkson's header in
the box.
Motherwell had chances to net a late winner, but Clarkson was unable
to connect with a cross from substitute Darren Smith, and Combe rose
confidently to catch Craigan's header from a Paterson corner on the
right.
McCormack thought he had scored his second late winner in as many
weeks when he bundled home Clarkson's cross in a crowded penalty box
following a Paterson free-kick.
However,
in the confusion, Kilmarnock broke free on the counter-attack and
Rhian Dodds provided the injury-time upset when he blasted in a
low, left-footed strike from the left side of the penalty area after he
picked up a slick cross from Gary Wales.
Sandy's Match Pic's are
HERE
59 mins
