St Mirren 1-0 Motherwell: Boyd-Munce stunner sends hosts into last eight
- Published
Caolan Boyd-Munce's stunning strike was a rare moment of quality
Caolan Boyd-Munce's stunning maiden strike for St Mirren propelled his side into the last eight of the Viaplay Cup at the expense of fellow top-flight club Motherwell.
The visitors struggled to cope with the urgency of the hosts at a near sell-out SMiSA Stadium as Keanu Baccus came close to adding a second when his effort skimmed the top of the crossbar.
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell cut a frustrated figure as his side created precious little in attack during the first half, but his players improved after the break as Theo Bair's wonderful strike was superbly tipped over by Zach Hemming.
The Paisley club failed to kill off the tie when Toyosi Olusanya was first denied by a fine save from Liam Kelly before the striker crashed a shot off the far post.
But their profligacy did not come back to bite them as Motherwell, who managed just one shot on target, could not find a leveller.
As the wind and rain swirled around the ground, play ebbed and flowed. Conor McMenamin had a great chance to double the lead when played through by Mikael Mandron, but excellent defending by Dan Casey meant his effort was blocked.
That break was matched by one at the other end when Mika Biereth's fizzed cross was just too strong for the sliding Conor Wilkinson at the back post.
Perhaps it was fitting, in the end, that the only goal came from the main moment of quality in the match. Boyd-Munce may never strike a ball as sweetly, showing fabulous technique from the edge of the area to arrow into the top-left corner.
Player of the match - Caolan Boyd-Munce
There were several contenders in black and white, with Richard Taylor at the back nearly edging it for his solid defensive display. But for his truly a fabulous strike, and for a composed display in the middle of the park, step forward Boyd-Munce
What they said
St Mirren assistant manager Diarmuid O'Carroll: "It was two good sides right at it, we could've made it two or three. Over the course, I think we deserved it.
"We won't get too excited, but clubs like ourselves want to progress in cup competitions. We don't fear anybody. On our day, we feel we can compete with the best in the league."
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell: "The game played out how I imagined it. It's a brilliant [winning goal] but we have to be better before that.
"We have to lick our wounds and not let this derail what's been a very good run of form."