By grabar
August 9 2010

Motherwell turned the clock back and played a trial match at Fir Park that was reminiscent of the possible v probable matches back in the 1960s. Two teams made up of a mixture of first team regulars, under 19 squad members and trialists (8 of them!!) took part in the game. Only six of the recognised first team from the European games played to date actually started the game, Darren Randolph, Stevie Hammell, Keith Lasley, Chris Humphrey, Steve Jennings and John Sutton. The game was played in a bright fashion with both sides working hard, with the trialists obviously eager to impress the watching Craig Brown and Archie Knox along with the Under 19s eager to push their case. The team in black were three goals up by half time thanks to a thundering drive from Humphrey, a tap in from Sutton and a bizarre og when Randolph had made a fine save and the ball rebounded off Steven Meechan. There was the usual raft of substitutions at the break with all six first team players being replaced by more of the Under 19 side. It was one of them who lit up the early stages of the second half, Josh Watt scored an excellent individual goal to make it four nil. The youngster was then tripped in the box after another run that brought back memories of Pat Nevin in his heyday. He too the penalty himself but his weak effort was saved by the keeper diving to his right. There game died a bit after this as both sides became a bit ragged as they tired, but they did provide enough entertainment for the few hundred Well fans who turned out to watch. Craig Brown now has some thinking to do after watching the game, will any of the seven trialists who took the field add anything to his squad, are they any better than he has at the moment? Only time will tell…..