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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Andy McGilvray

Killie draw could be a massive moment in Motherwell's season, says boss

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell reckons their draw against Kilmarnock could prove to be a massive moment in their season, and they could have succumbed to defeat.

As it is, the Steelmen have taken seven points from three games under Kettlewell's charge, as they head into a massive game at his former club Ross County next weekend.

Callum Slattery popped up with a priceless free-kick goal that went straight into the top right corner in the last minute of normal time to earn a point.

Kettlewell said: "We can sit here and say it will be massive, and what comes next in the remaining 11 games will define if it is, but I genuinely feel that it could be a big moment in our season.

"It would have been really easy for us to go under after the first half performance and not acquit ourselves as we did in the second half.

"Obviously, Callum Slattery comes up with an absolute wonder strike, but we probably had five clear-cut chances before that where we saw the whites of their goalkeeper's eyes.

Callum Slattery curled an unstoppable free kick into the top right corner to snatch a draw (SNS Group)

"He ended up getting Man of the Match, but it wasn't for his first half performance, it was for the second half. And that signifies what we did in the second half was a lot better than the first 45.

"I thought Killie were good in the first half and we were the better side in the second half.

"When you come away from it, we had the better chances and were clean through against the keeper on five occasions but, listen, at that stage in the game, you take your point.

"Maybe if we had taken one of those opportunities earlier it becomes a different story, but it wasn't the case.

"I need to acknowledge how difficult a place this is to come. Killie have been excellent at home and they are so difficult to play against - well-organised and structured and I thought they were excellent in the first half.

Slattery celebrates with Motherwell team-mates after scoring the equaliser (SNS Group)

"So the most pleasing aspect for me was the response from our group."

Kettlewell says he got the response from his players that he was looking for as they fought back to cancel out Scott Robinson's early opener.

He said: "I spoke at half time because we weren't happy at the performance, but it's important that we have a group that understands themselves where they went wrong in the first 45.

"If they came in happy with their performance in the first 45 minutes, then we have got an issue.

"They took ownership for it. It was my job to tweak certain aspects of it and we changed our system.

"That was maybe the reaction that the players took responsibility for what was a poor first half showing, but it was a far better one in the second half."

Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.

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