THE mass exodus of Motherwell fans after Andy Dorman sealed St Mirren's 2-0 victory at Fir Park suggested they thought not only the game, but their season, was over.
But manager Mark McGhee soon warned that the same attitude among his players during their bottom-six finish to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League could cost them their Motherwell futures.
The defeat leaves Motherwell facing five similar games ag
ainst teams desperate for points to ease their relegation fears and they will need to rediscover their cutting edge.
Too many promising moves broke down too soon on the rutted surface while St Mirren's long-ball game eventually paid off when Steven Thomson latched onto a poor attempted clearance by Mark Reynolds to tap home the 77th-minute opener.
Dorman scored a wonderful late clincher, his 30-yard strike soaring over Graeme Smith and dipping under the bar, and a feeling of too little, too late among the remaining Motherwell fans was compounded when Stephen Hughes headed against the post in the last minute.
Motherwell are now the only team in the SPL not playing for the title, Europe or safety, but McGhee insists motivation will not be difficult.
"I spent a lot of time in the dressing room after the game and what I have said is I feel as individuals they can do better and as a team we can certainly do better," McGhee said. "I would challenge anyone who has watched Motherwell over the last 40 years to tell us when they have seen football as good as some of the football we have produced over the last two years.
"We will continue to try to produce that going into next season. What I have said is I want to see those that want to be with us.
"I want to see that now, I'm not prepared to wait until the start of next season because there are going to be changes if necessary.
"That includes these last five games. Anyone who doesn't want to be part of that can come in and tell me or I will see it in their performance in training and the games, and we will change things. Every single one of them in the dressing room has the opportunity to be with us next season and I welcome them, but they have to show me over the next five games that they want to be part of that. That is the motivation. A result like this has consequences."
St Mirren ended the weekend six points above bottom club Falkirk following their first SPL win of 2009. That will ease some of the pressure ahead of their Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers on Saturday but manager Gus MacPherson will still put high demands on his players.
"It's not just a case of going there just to turn up and enjoy it," he said. "We'll be focused for it, preparation will be spot on.
"The players will be switched on, they know exactly what we are expecting of them. They have given us that for the majority of the season and we'll still be expecting that next Saturday."
