Motherwell 1-1 St Johnstone: Stuart Kettlewell still under pressure after late draw
- Published
Bevis Mugabi's own goal was St Johnstone's first away goal of the season
Stuart Kettlewell insisted his Motherwell side's doubters were "proven wrong" after a 91st-minute leveller earned a Scottish Premiership draw with St Johnstone.
After Bevis Mugabi's own-goal, it looked like the Fir Park side were headed for an eighth loss in 12 games, but Mika Biereth's dramatic late header snatched a point.
However, that was not enough to prevent Motherwell slipping to 10th place after a 13th league game without a win.
"It's a massive point," Kettlewell said. "Yet again, anyone who doubts us and our spirit, have been proven wrong.
"We're incredibly frustrated to find ourselves one goal down. We could feel the mood change, the energy dip.
"I'm not going to patronise people and tell them it's the perfect performance. We were competitive on a wet winter's day, and we stood up and were counted. We've shown a lot of character and personality."
Motherwell do, at least, stay ahead of St Johnstone on goal difference, with both side edging five points clear of bottom-side Livingston.
St Johnstone took a while to get to grips with the conditions, while Motherwell appeared nervous under the pressure upon both squad and manager.
Dimitar Mitov was more tested in the first-half than Liam Kelly, but the Bulgarian goalkeeper rarely looked too troubled, stopping drives from Georgie Gent and Blair Spittal.
The best chance came at the end of the half, but it came to the visitors. Diallang Jaiyesimi squared to Chris Kane but somehow the striker direct his close-range header high and wide.
The second-half was, by and large, a much different story. Motherwell were camped in their own box and eventually fell behind when Matt Smith's free-kick was missed by Kelly, with Mugabi bungling it into his own net.
Until the final 10 minutes, it looked more likely that St Johnstone would get a second. Jaiyesimi shot just over with a hooked effort over his shoulder, and Graham Carey rattled the crossbar from a free-kick.
Kettlewell decided to throw another three strikers onto the pitch as he went for broke, and it had an instant impact as Theo Bair went close twice but again, Mitov denied him.
There was nothing the goalkeeper could do about the equaliser though. Bair turned provider, whipping it onto the head of Biereth, who powered his header into the back of the net.
Player of the match - Theo Bair (Motherwell)
He may have only come in the final 10 minutes, but he created plenty and set up the winner.
Will Motherwell's late show be enough to save Kettlewell? - analysis
The apathy around Fir Park was almost palpable as St Johnstone went ahead. A few moments of quality in the first half were undone by another individual mistake, and the writing appeared to be on the wall.
The mood was somewhat saved by Biereth's bullet header, but the fact remains that Motherwell haven't won a match since 3 September.
They have plummeted down the league, and had it not been for that late leveller, they'd have been second-bottom, two points adrift of Aberdeen.
For the majority of the game, it looked like St Johnstone just wanted it more. They played with determination, albeit a clear lack of quality up the top end of the pitch.
However, the late goal conceded will be a bitter blow and come the end of the season, these two points dropped might be costly.
What they said
Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell: "We were incredibly frustrated to find ourselves one goal down. It comes from a set play and a situation we can defend far better. It had an impact on the players.
"We changed how we played today, we focused on being more direct. When confidence is low, you have to try and eradicate the negative thoughts. We simplified the message and the formula."
Kettlewell hails 'massive point' for Motherwell
St Johnstone manager Craig Levein: "We defended our area pretty well, there wasn't too many chances, Dimi [Mitov] didn't have many saves of significance to make. It was a disappointment to lose such a late goal.
"There's good times to score. If Chris Kane had scored, the game is finished. The overriding feeling is that we've let two points slip away.
"The effort from the lads was incredible, they ran themselves into the ground. We need more of that to make ourselves safe in this league."
What next?
Motherwell visit St Mirren next Saturday, while St Johnstone host Hibernian at the same time (both 15:00 GMT).