Cup heroes warn ’Well to be wary

’Well go into the match as red hot favourites, having re-discovered their early season league form with two wins in five days.

Morton are having a mixed season and lost 2-1 to bottom of the table Queen of the South on Saturday, but will be looking for a cup upset.

The sides met in the quarter-final in 1991, drawing 0-0 at Fir Park before ‘Well won a penalty shootout after another draw in the replay at Cappielow.

‘Well went on to win the cup that year, but skipper Tom Boyd, who scored in the replay against Morton, recalled that the cup run could easily have been over at the quarter-final stage.

He admitted: “Perhaps we under-estimated Morton a little. In the previous rounds we had beaten Aberdeen and Falkirk, who were flying high at the top of the First Division, so maybe we thought a lesser team like Morton wouldn’t present the same sort of challenge.

“The game at Fir Park was poor and neither side deserved to win. Morton were dogged and determined, and they had a chance late on to win it.

“So Motherwell need to be very wary on Saturday.”

Jim Griffin, another former ‘Well star who played against Morton in the 1991 quarter-final, said he and his colleagues were far from their best in the first game at Fir Park.

He said: “I don’t think it was complacency. Morton caused us problems and we didn’t perform. They were easily the better team.

“Morton will be up for this game too and it’s important ‘Well go about it the right way.”

Full story in this week’s Motherwell Times and Bellshill Speaker.