By grabar
October 26 2008

Motherwell came back from a goal down to secure three points at a wet and windy Inverness. The home side took the lead through Rooney before goals from Porter and Malcolm sealed the points for Well who moved up to seventh place in the table after the win. With Paul Quinn suspended after last week’s sending off and Stephen Craigan’s ongoing injury, Mark McGhee was forced to field another make shift defence. Keith Lasley was once again forced to fill in at right back and Bob Malcolm coming in at centre back. The manager had also had his team preparing all week for poor weather and he wasn’t disappointed as the wind and rain whipped across the ground throughout the game.  Both sides swapped early chances, for Well a Stephen Hughes shot sailed wide and at the other end Graeme Smith saved from Dougie Imrie at the second attempt. Motherwell were looking comfortable in the first half and Chris Porter was unlucky to see a header slide wide from a Steven Hammell cross. Having said that the home side made the best chance of the opening period when a shot from wide on the left from Imrie sailed over Smith but crashed clear off the post. Just before the break a Steven McGarry shot caused problems for Michael Fraser in the home goal but the keeper saved well at his near post. In truth the fist half was a poor affair with neither side coping with the awful conditions. The first goal came within two minutes of the re-start when the Highlanders took the lead. The move started with a corner to Motherwell which Inverness cleared, and even then Well looked to have things under control. That was until a loose pass from Keith Lasley allowed Adam Rooney to pick the ball up just inside the Well half. The striker then slipped past Mark Reynolds before slamming a shot past Smith. With 64 minutes gone Mark McGhee made a double substitution with Jim O’Brien and Darren Smith replacing David Clarkson and Jamie Murphy. Within a minute of the change Well could’ve been two down but Rooney saw a shot saved after being released by Imrie. Inverness were made to pay for that miss when Well equalised only two minutes later. Stephen Hughes pass was dummied by Chris Porter to allow John Sutton to play a return pass to the striker who smashed a shot across Fraser. Well continued to plug away and were rewarded for their efforts with seven minutes left. Jim O’Brien was bundled over by Ross Tokely about 25 yards out, Bob Malcolm stepped up to take the kick and sent the ball over the wall and into the top right hand corner. The home side refused to lie down and the dying moments had a penalty claim turned down when Smith looked to have barged into sub Andy Barrowman. Then in stoppage time Wood was unlucky to see a volley slide wide of the left hand post with Smith beaten. Well held on and secured three vital away points as they look to push back up towards the top half of the table.