For a pre-season game both teams certainly went about their business in an efficient manner trying to work their way through to the box. Early on McDonald for Motherwell and Pahars for Southampton found themselves in good positions and had snap shots saved. Clear cut chances were then few and far between and as much as Motherwell had more of the ball and attacking play it is fair to say that Southampton looked as if they were using it better and some one touch play looked good at spells through the game.
On 29 minutes came the most controversial moment of the game as Paterson played the ball through to McDonald who beautifully slid it past Niemi. At that point the flag went up. As the game was being played under FIFA rules and not SPL, the flag went up as McDonald hit the ball rather than when he was clearly offside. This rule looks ludicrous as during the game both he and substitute Clarkson wasted energy chasing a ball that when they caught the flag went straight up.
Worryingly Corrigan took a knock and needed treatment three minutes before the break and didn’t re-emerge for the second half. Just before half time Southampton had the lead through a goal from Andrew Surmanon from a ball that appeared to land at his feet from nowhere and he tucked it beautifully past Marshall.
The second half started slowly but ten minutes in Southampton scored a second, which was of supreme quality in both pace and execution. Fabrice Fernandes played a wonderful ball down the left flank, which Danny Higginbotham played into the box for Brett Ormerod to put home.
Retrieving the ball from the net was just about the last thing Marshall did as eight minutes later the new boy Graeme Smith replaced him to a hearty Fir Park reception.
On 71 minutes Clarkson (who had recently replaced Hamilton) unleashed a thunderbolt from about 25 yards which Southampton’s substitute goalie did remarkably well to turn onto the bar and out for a corner.
After that Motherwell worked hard and won another couple of corners which came to little before Foran scored a beautiful goal from about twenty yards out which nestled nicely in the keeper’s bottom right corner. Foran almost put Wright through at the death but a Southampton foot got in the road meaning Motherwell lost the game but can be pleased with a solid performance against a team who looked like they could beat most in our division.
Motherwell: Marshall (Smith 62), Corrigan (Keogh 45), Quinn, Partridge, Craigan, Foran, O’Donnell (Fagan 65), Leitch (Kerr 45), Hamilton (Clarkson 65), McDonald (Wright 78), Paterson