We are Staying Up!

The repercussions of what happened after full-time will mean the dust is unlikely to settle for quite some time but whatever comes of the Rangers fans and their apologists in the media’s outpourings of frustrations over the brawl, the pitch invasion and the taunting of the shrinking violets that follow the Ibrox club, it won’t make one bit of difference to the fact that Motherwell are staying up!

And how fantastic it feels to write that – and finally shake off the knot of tension that seems to have been ever present in my stomach for the last week.

I must admit that after the St Mirren game in Paisley I’d lost a good deal of faith. I’d been really positive about our chances heading towards the split but watched us blow chance after chance to pull ourselves clear.  I kept my counsel but couldn’t really see how if we weren’t able to win the ‘Must Wins’ against Thistle, Accies, Ross County and St Mirren, how could we possibly hold our nerve over a two game all or nothing Play-Off?

On and off the park though it has to be said Motherwell FC played an absolute blinder.

There’s no question that the whole ticket allocation episode proved a welcome distraction and ultimately galvanised the Motherwell support.

With the 1st leg at Ibrox only three days away there was much clock-watching, checking of inboxes and refreshing of streams going on on the final Bank Holiday Monday of May.  Some had stationed themselves close to Fir Park in preparation for the imminent announcement, others hot-footed it to the ground as soon as news broke of the allocations for each game.

I got that part wrong too funnily enough!

I was convinced that in time it would be confirmed that Rangers would get the whole of the South Stand and in turn we would get our requested allocation of 2000 briefs for Ibrox.  As I recall whilst both clubs had different Chief Executives and there was initially a fair amount of bluster from Charles Green, when the sides met at Ibrox a few years back in the League Cup things were fairly cordial in the boardroom. Green even went so far as to infer we know who our enemies are and Motherwell aren’t one of them.

Motherwell have been known to be fair in their dealings with other clubs – take the £10 for an away season ticket holder arrangement that was in place with Dundee Utd this season for example – and I felt eventually things would come to an amicable conclusion.

I must admit to some surprise when it was announced that we would get just 950 tickets for Ibrox but shocked when our club refused to give Rangers more than 1500 when they came to Fir Park.

The immediate aftermath brought many laughable comments some by those who really should know better. The Evening Times giving a platform to groups like the Rangers Supporters Assembly or Radio Clyde whipping up a frenzy among Rangers fans who probably weren’t even going to go anyway is hardly a surprise. But for the likes of Motherwell’s former manager Stuart McCall to infer that any trouble on the day would be down to Motherwell FC alone was in particularly poor taste.

The message was clear that Motherwell should have accepted with good grace whatever allocation Rangers chose to give them and in return happily hand over however many tickets Rangers felt they were deserving of.

Motherwell’s handling of the allocation situation also had the result of attracting many more Motherwell fans to the game at Fir Park than would normally venture to the home of the Steelmen for a visit of one of the gruesome two-some.  Of course there were some Rangers fans in the home-end who bought tickets before the highly efficient restrictions were put in place by Motherwell but to see the three home stands all but full of Motherwell fans not only gladdened the heart but utilised our home advantage to the very full.

It seemed that any disappointment supporters felt about potentially missing out on the 1st leg was set aside in the staunch support the club received for limiting Rangers allocation in response to our own.  Throw in what was by now a routinely dismissal of Motherwell’s chances by those in the media, the Super Scoreboard types and our Rangers supporting colleagues and friends and more and more the fire began to burn in our bellies.

It seemed that from being edgy, cautious and perhaps even fearful our support was becoming more and more galvanised adopting something of a siege mentality in reacting to the scathing criticism and belittling of our club.

And then the fun really began.

By accident or by design both matches followed a similar path in the opening stages.  Few could have anticipated the final outcomes going by the opening twenty odd minutes of each match.

At Ibrox we held our breaths on occasion as they started fast and fashioned the odd chance but we were holding our own.  Suddenly. Lee Erwin’s in the box, he cuts inside and shoots. It takes a deflection…..GOAL! There’s disbelief in the home stands, uproar amongst the 950. The away end is a cavorting, heaving, mass of emotion and undefinable noise.

Minutes later it’s two!!  McManus knocks home a cross from one of the tie’s most influential players, Marvin Johnson, and it’s more of the same in that tiny corner of the ground. My legs are being cut to ribbons here, I’ve still a stitch from celebrating the first goal. It’s a joyous mix of pleasure and pain. McManus calmly smiles and gives the Rangers fans behind the goal the “Come on”. Seethe….

And then there was the third. Truly a thing of beauty.  If there was a point in proceedings that clearly demonstrated the gulf in class between the sides over the two games it was this.  Possession won in the middle of the park by Pearo, about 20 seconds and four or five crisply made passes later and Lionel’s rifling the ball home in front of us.  Have there been many better celebrations than this? Just incredible.

‘Well fans celebrate Lionel Ainsworth’s strike at Ibrox

And Motherwell being Motherwell just when we’re thinking we are actually going to do this, the momentum swings.

Ainsworth passes up a chance to make it four and slowly but surely we find ourselves on the back-foot.  Tiring forwards mean the out ball isn’t quite there as it was and the experienced Pearson and Hammell have gone off injured.  With less than 10 minutes left they score.  It’s hairy stuff. Nervy.  They have a goal disallowed, rightly of course, but we’re clock-watching.

At last it’s over! The Rangers support file away and we’re left to celebrate with our heroes in claret and amber.  They are respectful of the two-legged nature of the tie but the supporters are lapping it up.  We were told we’d be destroyed. We hoped we could take the game back to Fir Park with the tie alive. We’re only bloody three-one up!

The scenes will live forever for anyone fortunate enough to experience them. Twist and Shout fills the air, ten, twenty nae thirty minutes after full-time.  Derek Rae has long since finished his BT Sport duties and is round film and snapping away the ‘Well support on his phone.  The atmosphere is electric.

Sleep is difficult on Thursday night. Even more so as the weekend approaches.  Still the Bluenoses are defiant, whipped up by their apologists in the media. We were lucky, they were poor, we’ll crack once they get an early goal on Sunday.  Lionel’s miss to make it four returns to my mind just often enough to ensure there remains a nagging doubt.  My stomach is in knots once more.

At last Sunday is upon us. Fir Park is resplendent in claret and amber. The pitch is perfect. The scene is most certainly set.

As per Thursday, Rangers start the better of the two. We aren’t playing well and look edgy at times. At last we begin to play our way into the game. Erwin comes close. McManus too. Then Johnson.  This is better.  Come on Motherwell!

Thompson appears lenient as several questionable challenges on our players from McCulloch, Foster and Zaliukas attract no more than a yellow.  The Lithuanian passes up a great chance minutes before the break.  We would soon find it would be Rangers last meaningful chance to salvage the tie.

Motherwell are stretching Rangers every time we counter as we move into the second half.  They are struggling to cope with Marvin’s pace and running.  He drives forward, further and further, cuts inside and shoots.  His shot deflects and spins high, high into the air.  It’s heading towards the goal. Bell’s scrambling. It’s dipping, the crowd are on their feet.  There’s a collective gasp as Bell flaps at it and he weakly punches it into the air…… but it’s already in! We’ve scored!! We’ve fucking scored!!! Mayhem. More skint knees, embracing strangers and dancing in the stands.A flare is burning on the pitch.

Rangers are gone. It’s over.  We’re swarming over them. “Battered them” as Lee Erwin would later tell the watching world. They have no response.  Ainsworth nets a second. A noticeable pocket of empty seats emerges in the Phil O’Donnell. Does Lasley shed a tear as he looks skywards in relief?  He wouldn’t be alone if he did.

McCall is being mocked now.  He acknowledges the “sacked in the morning chant” before throwing on Mohsni. He can surely only be trying to protect a player liable for second yellow.  That worked well eh!

Again Rangers are destroyed down Motherwell’s left wing, Erwin cuts in, he’s nudged and goes down. Sutton puts it in but Thompson has already pointed to the spot.  Erwin shows a little petulance but is one of the first to celebrate as Motherwell’s number nine slots home what could be his last in claret and amber.

The celebrations begin but are almost immediately paused as melee ensues on the park. It’s only later as friends at home transcribe what’s gone down do we learn that Mohsni has kicked and punched Lee Erwin. There are fans spilling on to pitch now and making their way to the South Stand to goad the remaining Bears. They don’t like it one bit and the stewards have to hold some of them back.

It passes and I’m left thinking a mixture of ultra-paranoid thoughts about the SPFL using the post-match stuff to somehow restore Rangers to “their rightful place” and relegate us at the same time.  It’s been messy and we’ll likely be on the end of a fine but there’s part of me that can’t help thinking, you know once, just once, it’ll do you fuckers no harm to be on the receiving end of some of the stuff you dish out week in, week out across this country of ours.

A measure of calmness ensues as the players and their families return to say their farewells to the fans and accept the thanks of the supporters for their efforts over the tie and the campaign.  Even then some of the media seem unwilling to allow us this, even after such a comprehensive victory.  Celebrating failure some claim.  If they’d paid any attention at all to Motherwell outwith this tie they’d know this is a yearly tradition at Fir Park over which the league placing has little bearing.

Lasley and Baraclough address the crowd.  Nobody can hear a word but we applaud and cheer and lap up the sentiments that are undoubtedly being expressed.  Deservedly special recognition is afforded to the Bois by both captain and manager.

The moment passes and its of to relive it all in the pub or online, to watch the game back or check out when the highlights are on.  Our season is over.

It’s Monday now.  That knot of tension has been replaced by the occasional flutter of excitement when I think of the last few days, watch a youtube clip or relive the memory through the recollections of fellow ‘Well fans on social media.  This feeling isn’t going to pass soon.  This is good!

We’ve taken on the establishment’s team, their many many backers in the media, we’ve beaten them handsomely on and off the park. We’ve won the Scottish Cup in my lifetime, played in Europe, been runners-up the lot.  We may have just avoided relegation but I’ve never been more proud of my team and my club.

We are Motherwell – and we are staying up!!