Another pre-season game for Motherwell and another defeat, this time to Second Division Cowdenbeath. Despite the 3-1 away reverse, Motherwell manager Mark McGhee was pleased with his new signings and the fact the team avoided injuries. He will take on board the lesson's leant as he looks ahead to the league cup opener against Rangers, and remains happy to give his players yet more game time.
He said: "I’m pleased that so many of us got 90 minutes, its only another game or so really before we go into the league cup game against Rangers so it’s important, and again we’ve come out of it unscathed. I think when you play a game the way we played tonight, there was a reasonable amount of commitment to the running and working, but there were times when maybe we didn’t go in to challenges the way we normally would. So it’s difficult to gauge really how important that is at this stage and how much more important it is that we didn’t get anybody injured and we go into the next game with most of the boys having played 90 minutes."
McGhee went on: "So from that point of view it’s another good exercise, obviously we’re always disappointed to lose a game but it’s a pre-season game. I think the surface [played a part] as well, to be fair. But that’s no criticism as I know the restraints that are on clubs like this financially, but the pitch was shocking really and we found it difficult at times to pass the ball. I think on a better surface we would’ve turned better opportunities in to better chances and those better chances into goals."