Stranraer 0-2 Motherwell: Motherwell take their time to edge out battling Stranraer

Published on Friday 4 February 2011 17:02

Stranraer 0 Motherwell 2 Jones 45, Sutton 82

• Ground down: Steve Jones scores Well's opener despite slipping. Photograph: Chris Clark

MOTHERWELL squirmed into the cup quarter finals with an untidy first-half goal from Steve Jones and had to wait for a late clincher by John Sutton to take their slot.

Stranraer keeper David Mitchell was tested in five minutes as Tom Hateley whacked a decent free-kick towards the top right from almost 35 yards, only for Mitchell to move smartly and haul it down at the line.

Stranraer replied two minutes later with Armand One jumping over the ball to allow Steven Nicoll a run at goal, but his 20-yard rising shot flew wide of the left post. The third division side soaked up some intense pressure before responding with two fine efforts in the space of a minute.

A Scott Agnew corner on the right bobbled about the box with both sides spinning headers in all directions before Steven Noble seized on the ball and fizzed a shot narrowly over the top in 22 minutes. And just a minute after that, Blues skipper Danny Mitchell charged through the middle of the defence only to slam his effort high and wide.

The tie boiled over in 25 minutes as Well's Shaun Hutchinson clattered Danny Mitchell, leaving him in obvious distress while players from both sides charged to the scene before ref Charlie Richmond pulled them apart and booked the Fir Park sinner.

The Blues continued to carve out chances and Craig Malcolm wriggled free on the left, but from 15 yards he scuffed his shot across keeper Darren Randolph and inches past the right post. Blues stopper Declan Gallagher came to their rescue two minutes from the interval when he headed clear from the line during a goalmouth scramble.

The SPL side broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time. Steven Saunders slung the ball in from the right and it hit off Steve Jones then fell at his feet a few yards out. He mis-hit his attempt from five yards and slipped in the process. Keeper Mitchell had already gone to ground and Jones managed to prod a soft shot from the deck which squirmed over the line at the near post.

And Saunders came close to a wonder second nine minutes into the second half with a terrific diagonal run which took him to the edge of the box before he fired a fierce shot just over the bar.

Sub Jamie Murphy brought out a good, near-post save from Blues keeper Mitchell with his legs in 64 minutes as Well pushed for a second. And Hateley was next up with a 20-yard free-kick which he swept narrowly over the crossbar eight minutes later as the game began to fizzle out.

Sutton wrapped up the tie eight minutes from the end when he tucked home a low near-post cross from a couple of yards following a good run down the right by Chris Humphrey.