MOTHERWELL boss Mark McGhee hailed Jamie Murphy as the youngster bagged his first goal of the season for the Steelmen – but then warned his side not to rely too much on their rising star's talents.
The Fir Park side failed to beat Falkirk home or away last season but their perseverance paid off yesterday as they were hauled back twice but finally bagged all three points in the 3-2 success thanks to a second-half strike from John Sutton.
Murp
hy and Chris Porter had given their side the lead on two different occasions only for Steve Lovell and Graham Barrett to level for the visitors but Sutton tied up the points for McGhee's men ten minutes after the break and the Well manager was delighted to see his side hang on.
McGhee was pleased with Murphy's opener and with his overall performance and clearly sees the 19-year-old as a key contributor to his side this season: "It was terrific for Jamie to get his first goal, and in front of his own fans too.
"We're delighted with him and with his performance because he gives us a different option down the flank.
"However, I don't want us to turn into a team that relies on his too much, I don't want us to turn into a side that just passes to Jamie and hopes he does something with the ball. We can't just rely on him, we have to utilise his talents to make sure he is part of a winning team."
The home side could have taken the lead with just six minutes on the clock, only for Murphy to see his effort palmed away by Bairns keeper Robert Olejnik. But the young Well player was only to be denied until the 12th minute.
Referee Steve O'Reilly played the advantage after a foul on Sutton, allowing Keith Lasley to push the Steelmen forward and when his ball over the top of the Falkirk defence was missed by Jackie McNamara, Murphy was on hand to rattle the ball home with his right foot from just inside the box.
At the other end, John Hughes' side levelled with 22 minutes gone when Lee Bullen's long ball forward was knocked on by Michael Higdon and it was meat and drink for Lovell, who drilled the ball low into the net underneath the diving body of Graeme Smith.
However, the Falkirk fans' celebrations were short-lived as the home side regained the advantage within the space of just a minute and it was a bizarre goal, Olejnik forced to let go of the ball for fear of picking up a red card as his momentum took him sliding out of his box. Unfortunately for the visitors, Bullen had his back to the keeper and didn't realise the trouble brewing behind him and that left Chris Porter to slot home the loose ball from close range.
However, Falkirk fought back yet again when young player of the month Scott Arfield sent the ball across goal and Higdon stabbed it into the feet of Graham Barrett, who spun on his heels just inside the box to turn the ball beyond Smith.
Motherwell were not to be denied, though, and their perseverance paid off when Steven McGarry picked up the ball on the left flank and his ball to the far post was at just the right height for Sutton, who rose to power home his fifth goal in six SPL games this season. Higdon had a great chance to rescue a share of the spoils as the game entered its final 15 minutes when he got on the end of a cross from sub Neil McCann but his low header was well blocked by Smith.
Frustrated Bairns boss Hughes refused to be too hard on Olejnik for his slip-up for Motherwell's second goal, although he would not say whether he would start the keeper in Falkirk's next game. "I felt for him and we didn't lose the game because of our keeper.
"He has kept us in a lot of games this season and this is just one of those things that happens in football. He is a lovely guy and I love working with him but this is a big test for him now and it will be interesting to see how he reacts.
"We will see if he plays the next game but if he does and he comes through it okay then it will be the making of him."
Hughes was disappointed with the contribution in other areas of the pitch at times though and added: "You need a strong mentality and I just feel that one or two of them are kidding me on. You need to put your body on the line and take responsibility and there were bits and pieces missing. We've been losing goals as a result of basic mistakes and you're not going to win anything by throwing away three goals."
The full article contains 837 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
