Motherwell 6 - 6 Hibernian: Nish hat-trick is not enough in 12-goal thriller

John Hughes' team finally ended their run of defeats but the manner of this draw will have been as crushing to their morale as any loss. They contrived to let leads of 4-1 and 6-2 slip from their grasp, with Motherwell even missing a penalty kick in the closing stages of a match which will live long in Fir Park folklore.

Lukas Jutkiewicz was the hero for Craig Brown's side, making it 6-6 with a sensational volley three minutes into stoppage time. It keeps Motherwell in fourth place, a point ahead of Hibs, ahead of Sunday's final round of fixtures.

The Easter Road men, for whom Colin Nish scored a hat-trick as they looked to be on course for a first league win since 27 March, face a trip to Tannadice to play Dundee United in what represents a final chance to prevent a promising campaign ending in complete misery.

Days after apologising for his claim that only five per cent of Hibs supporters know anything about football, Colin Nish at least earned a 100 per cent approval rating from the travelling support last night.

His 25-minute treble was the highlight of a breathless first half as Hughes' side took full advantage of some weak-minded defending by Motherwell. Hibs had already missed one excellent chance, Anthony Stokes dragging a shot wide after Liam Miller's pass had pierced the home back four, when Nish put them ahead in the 11th minute.

The opener came from a terrific move which saw Hibs put together more than a dozen passes on the still patchy but much improved Fir Park pitch. It culminated in a slick exchange of passes between David Wotherspoon and Stokes on the right, the former driving over a low cross which left the unmarked Nish with a simple close range tap-in.

Opening the scoring has often proved an unnerving experience for Hibs in recent weeks, however, losing matches against both Celtic and Hearts after taking the lead. Goalkeeper Graeme Smith denied his former club an instant equaliser when he dived to his left to keep out Tom Hateley's free-kick just a minute later, before Nish was unfortunate not to double the advantage at the other end with a coolly struck long-range shot which struck John Ruddy's left hand post.

But it looked as if Hibs would be spooked yet again by a winning position when Motherwell did make it 1-1 in the 16th minute.

Giles Coke drove forward with some urgency from central midfield, spreading the play to Jutkiewicz on the right. The on-loan Everton striker forced his way past Ian Murray and delivered a low cross which Coke smashed first time beyond Smith to score his first goal for Motherwell.

It was another test of Hibs' recently suspect resilience but they responded in remarkable fashion to forge a 4-1 lead within the next 20 minutes. They regained the lead when Motherwell were slow to react when Murray picked out John Rankin's run into the penalty area with a throw-in. The midfielder held off a couple of challenges and cut the ball back to Nish who beat Ruddy with a scuffed low shot from around ten yards.

Motherwell pressed forward in numbers to try and regain parity quickly but were undone by a counter-attack from one of their own corner kicks. Stokes raced into the Motherwell half but appeared to have been halted by the pacy Coke who tracked back to intercept. Coke was careless with his attempted pass back to Ruddy, however, managing to play the ball straight to the lurking Derek Riordan who took it round the goalkeeper and slotted home from a tight angle.

The game looked to be well and truly up for Brown's men when Nish completed his hat-trick in the 36th minute. Stokes and Riordan combined to carve Motherwell open on the left, Nish making no mistake with another first time shot from close range, which took his tally for the season into double figures.

Hibs, though, would not be allowed to relax. Three minutes later, Motherwell cut the deficit when Jim O'Brien whipped over a terrific cross from the right which John Sutton dived to head beyond Smith.

There would be no let-up from either side in the second half. On the resumption, Hibs seemed to have put Motherwell away once more as they powered on to a 6-2 lead with two goals from Stokes. He tapped in a Miller cross from the right in the 56th minute, then flicked home Riordan's centre from the left eight minutes later.

It was enough for some home fans to head for the exits but the loyalty of those who remained was rewarded as Motherwell refused to bend the knee. Coke netted from close range after O'Brien struck a post, then in the 72nd minute Hateley's free-kick was fumbled by Smith on its way into the net to reduce the lead to 6-4.

When Sutton headed in O'Brien's corner from close range four minutes later, Fir Park was in a ferment with any outcome now appearing plausible. Hibs were now utterly frazzled but Motherwell looked to have missed out on completing a stunning comeback when they missed a penalty three minutes from time. There was no doubt about the award, Smith flooring Jutkiewicz, but the keeper redeemed himself when he dived to his left to save substitute Ross Forbes' kick.

Yet one more staggering twist in the tale remained. In the third of four additional minutes, Jutkiewicz latched onto a Sutton pass and lashed a fabulous first time volley beyond Smith into the roof of the net.

Motherwell: Ruddy, Saunders (Humphrey 69), Craigan, Reynolds, Hammell; O'Brien, Coke, Hateley (Forbes 80), Sutton; Murphy (McGlinchey 69), Jutkiewicz. Subs not used: Fraser, Fitzpatrick, Hutchinson, McHugh.

Hibernian: Smith, Thicot, Hanlon, Hogg, Murray; Wotherspoon, Miller, Rankin, Riordan (McBride 70); Stokes (Benjelloun 89), Nish. Subs not used: Ma-Kalambay, Cregg, Stevenson, McCormack, Gow.