Motherwell’s Jamie Murphy sinks St Mirren to bolster Europe challenge
• Jamie Murphy strikes late to give Motherwell deserved win
• St Mirren’s Billy Mehmet denies Kilmarnock
A second-half goal from Jamie Murphy gave Motherwell a 1-0 victory against Hibernian at Fir Park, boosting the Lanarkshire side’s chances of European football next season.
Hibs midfielder Lee Miller was sent off during a goalless first half at Fir Park, the Republic of Ireland international receiving a straight red card in the 32nd minute for a late tackle on Jim O’Brien. The hosts enjoyed the better of the play but they struggled to create clear chances until good forward play from John Sutton set up the Scotland Under-21 striker Murphy to strike a left-footed shot into the net with eight minutes of the match remaining.
Hibs pushed forward but the on-loan Everton keeper John Ruddy ensured his seventh clean sheet in eight games when he held a Chris Hogg header from a Merouane Zemmama corner, and Murphy and O’Brien came close on the break. The defeat completed a miserable week for Hibs who were beaten 5-1 at St Johnstone in midweek. The management team of Craig Brown and Archie Knox continue their positive influence on Motherwell’s results – their team are now unbeaten in eight SPL games and within four points of Dundee United in fourth place.
Kilmarnock and St Mirren shared a 1-1 draw. Chris Maguire gave Kilmarnock a slender lead that their first-half performance barely deserved as the Buddies’ dismal run looked set to continue at Rugby Park. Maguire, on loan from Aberdeen, put Jimmy Calderwood’s side ahead from close range in the 32nd minute after Paul Gallacher spilled a tame shot from Craig Bryson. Saints were in control of possession for much of the first period and carved out good chances for Billy Mehmet and the striker Michael Higdon in particular. Mehmet struck a superb volley into the left-hand corner in the 82nd minute to claim a deserved point.
Steven Pressley secured his first win in management as bottom-placed Falkirk deservedly came from behind to beat Aberdeen 3-1. The Dons initially responded well to Tuesday night’s shock Scottish Cup defeat by Raith Rovers when a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick gave them a fifth-minute lead. But Pedro Moutinho quickly levelled for the Bairns, whose domination of the rest of the half was finally rewarded when captain Darren Barr put them ahead three minutes before the break. Richard Foster was booked for a cynical foul on Enoch Showunmi on the left edge of the box and Scott Arfield crossed the ball in for Barr to nod home at the far post. Showunmi could have made it 3-1 in stoppage time but Mulgrew’s shoulder challenge was enough to force him to shoot straight at Stuart Nelson.
The home side put the game beyond doubt when a Burton O’Brien free-kick found Ryan Flynn down the left and the young winger’s cross was met by a sublime scissor kick from Showunmi, whose first goal in Scottish football capped a fine performance from the striker. The victory brings Falkirk to within a point of Hamilton Academicals.
Sixth-placed Hearts host Hamilton Accies at Tynecastle today requiring three points as they chase Motherwell and Dundee United and attempt to steer their season back on track.
Rangers‘ game at St Johnstone was subject to a late postponement due to a section of the McDiarmid Park pitch being frozen, giving the champions extra rest ahead of next weekend’s Old Firm derby. Nine other Scottish league games were called off yesterday.
Aberdeen 4-4 Celtic
In the kind of match that makes your eyes water, Celtic led three times – including by two goals in the second half – and were still a little fortunate to take a draw from an Aberdeen side who deserved more.
Diomansy Kamara’s goal in the third minute triggered a long-running series of improbable strikes – from Michael Paton, Marc-Antoine Fortuné, Darren Mackie, Robbie Keane, Aiden McGeady and two from Steven MacLean. Aberdeen should also have had a penalty when Artur Boruc fouled MacLean and a chance to inflict even more damage on their visitors’ prospects of regaining the championship.
That early opener from Kamara might have been expected to herald a performance of confidence and conviction from Celtic, but it served mainly to illustrate the vulnerability to which they have been prone throughout this unconvincing season.
Not only did they prove themselves incapable holding on to their advantage for more than six minutes, but, more alarmingly for the visiting fans, Paton’s equaliser was the least Aberdeen deserved, having spent the time since they conceded the goal dominating opponents whose endeavours were marked by uncertainty and untidiness.
When they repeated the trick near half-time – this time losing their restored lead after less than two minutes – it was obvious that the Celtic defence could be susceptible to damage every time Aberdeen moved forward.
Not only did the home side pass the ball more crisply and incisively, but every time they executed a set piece – especially free-kicks from Charlie Mulgrew – they seemed likely to give Boruc in the Celtic goal some bad moments.
When Mulgrew’s free-kick from the right was headed out and played back in, Edson Braafheid’s defensive header was pathetically weak and straight to the feet of Paton. The Aberdeen man hit a left-foot volley from 20 yards that sent the ball hurtling low to the left of Boruc.
The goal with which Kamara gave Tony Mowbray’s side the lead was an exercise in opportunism. McGeady’s cut-back to Keane brought a low drive which Jamie Langfield pushed towards Kamara and the striker drove it over the line from only four yards.
It was Scott Brown’s long run out of defence and pass to Keane on the right which brought the clever, low centre from the on-loan Tottenham player to Fortuné, who had only to side-foot the ball past Langfield from close range.
But when Jim Paterson’s cross from the left dropped around the penalty spot, Celtic’s defenders all seemed to be sucked towards it, leaving Mackie utterly isolated. He simply volleyed the loose ball past Boruc without a challenge.
Before Keane restored the advantage, Aberdeen were the victims of poor refereeing when Boruc plainly fouled MacLean when the forward was clear inside the area. The referee, Ian Brines, may have been alone in not seeing the challenge as a penalty.
Almost typical of such breaks, Celtic scored soon after. Paul Caddis’s throw on the right was chested down by Kamara and his lobbed cross was glanced low to the right of Langfield as Keane outjumped Zander Diamond. When McGeady extended the lead with a powerful 15-yard drive from a corner by the substitute Ki Sung-yong, Aberdeen appeared finally to be dejected.
But Braafheid’s ludicrous handball gave Aberdeen the penalty from which MacLean, shooting to the left of Boruc, once again reduced the deficit. When the striker completed his double – the result of more dreadful defending – it was no more than the home side deserved.
It came from a corner on the right which the substitute Georgios Samaras failed to clear. The ball was played towards MacLean at Boruc’s right-hand post and he had a simple volley from six yards.
Smith laughs off talk of a conspiracy
• Mark McGhee hints he will rest players for visit of former side
• ‘You put out a team you think will win’ says Rangers manager
The Rangers manager, Walter Smith, has laughed off conspiracy theories relating to Celtic’s league trip to Aberdeen tomorrow lunchtime. Mark McGhee, the Aberdeen manager and a former Celtic player, has hinted he will rest players for the match as he deems Tuesday’s Scottish Cup fifth-round replay against Raith Rovers to be the club’s “priority”.
Yet Smith has chosen not to dwell on the matter as he looks to extend his side’s eight point lead over Celtic at the top of the table with the visit of Hibernianon Sunday. “I just hope we play Aberdeen before their next cup replay, the same thing will apply and that will even it out a wee bit,” Smith said in jest.
More seriously, he added: “It has really got nothing to do with me. You always put a team out that you think will win the game. Mark has said he might [rest players]. Sometimes I sit on a Thursday and think I might do something different, but as the game gets closer you just go with the team you were going to go with in the first place.”
Tony Mowbray, the Celtic manager, has admitted he is enjoying the title race. Wednesday’s victory over Hearts, coupled with Rangers’ draw in Motherwell on the same night, saw a cut in the points deficit between the Old Firm clubs.
“There is a challenge that we’ve got to try and enjoy,” said Mowbray. “I’ve been there in the past in the Championship with West Bromwich Albion: nibbling away at teams above us, actually overcoming them and winning the championship.
“It can be enjoyable to nibble away at a lead, and if you’re the team in front, looking over you’re shoulder and seeing it erode can add a bit of pressure.”
Mowbray disputes the notion that 14 games will not be enough for his players to overturn rs’ advantage. “We’ve still to play our city rivals twice, of course,” he said. “The first one of them is away at Ibrox and we’ve got to go and be very positive there and get a positive result.
“I’m sure if we don’t get a positive result on that day it’ll be a big blow for us and yet there will still be enough games left to keep going. Rangers keeping their squad together has been a positive for them and yet the potential for injury and fatigue is also there.”
Aberdeen’s Gary McDonald denies Raith cup shock with late leveller
• Raith foiled by injury-time goal in Scottish Cup tie
• Hibernian ease past Montrose to reach quarter-finals
A 95th-minute equaliser from Gary McDonald denied Raith Rovers a shock victory against Aberdeen in their fifth-round tie. A brilliant first-half volley from the Rovers midfielder Iain Williamson looked to have won the tie at Stark’s Park.
The First Division side, winners of the League Cup in 1994, appeared set to become the fifth Scottish Football League side to defeat the Dons in the past four seasons, but five minutes’ added time proved to be the undoing of Raith, with the Dons’ relentless pressure finally paying off when McDonald met a cross to force a replay.
Alan Gow marked his Hibernian debut with a superb solo goal as the Easter Road side cruised into the quarter-finals with a 5-1 victory over Montrose. Gow, on as a substitute, found the net with two minutes left, although the result was beyond doubt by then. Colin Nish scored twice in the first half while Derek Riordan and Abdessalam Benjelloun also found the target, and the Montrose midfielder Chris Hegarty had his moment of glory with a 25-yard consolation effort.
Dundee recovered from going behind to a 10th-minute Tam McManus goal to beat Ayr 2-1 with goals from Ben Hutcheson and a deflected shot from Lee Griffiths either side of half-time.
Liam Kelly scored his first two goals for Kilmarnock as Jimmy Calderwood’s side booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Cup with a 3-0 win at home to Inverness Caley. Conor Sammon put the SPL side ahead with a cool finish over the goalkeeper Ryan Esson midway through the first half. He then set up Kelly to net from the edge of the area seven minutes later. The scorer doubled his tally just before the hour.
Gary Wood scored a hat-trick and Michael Gardyen got two as Ross County hammered Stirling Albion 9-0. County, who are second in the First Division, coasted into a three-goal advantage by half-time against the Second Division team.
A scrambled goal from David Goodwillie on the stroke of half-time was enough to send Dundee United through at the expense of Tayside rivals St Johnstone 1-0.
Lukas Jutkiewicz gave Motherwell victory against Hamilton Accies in the sole SPL fixture. Jutkiewicz bundled in his 10th goal of the season to continue the Steelmen’s revival and keep their Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton at the bottom of the table.
Boro make move for Aberdeen’s Miller
• 26-year-old striker out of contract this summer
• Boro reported to have bid £500,000 for player
Aberdeen’s striker Lee Miller is on the brink of a move to Middlesbrough. The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer and his club have so far been unable to convince him to sign a new deal.
The manager, Mark McGhee, has already admitted he would consider cashing in on anyone who is a free agent at the end of the season and reports claim Boro have tabled a bid of £500,000.
Middlebrough’s manager, Gordon Strachan, who has also been linked with Celtic’s Scott McDonald, attended the Dons’ 3-0 at Hearts on Wednesday night. That game saw Miller make his return from a three-match ban.
“Middlesbrough have asked about Lee Miller,” McGhee told the BBC. “They have made an approach and the clubs are talking. If a deal is done, it will have to be done very quickly. We have to decide whether we want to keep him or sell.”
Miller’s sale could free up funds for McGhee to sign the Plymouth striker Steven MacLean.