Angry Words In Motherwell Dressing Room After League Cup Loss At Morton

Ian Baraclough insisted he remained the right man to lead Motherwell out of their ongoing difficulties after they crashed out of the League Cup at Cappielow.

Alex Samuel netted a double as Scott McDonald's last-gasp equaliser failed to give Motherwell an extra-time lift as they slumped to a 3-2 third-round defeat.

Play was held up for five minutes as Motherwell fans struggled with stewards and police, but Baraclough was more concerned with a lack of fight on the pitch.

After fans called for him to be sacked, Baraclough said: There isn't anybody that works any harder at their job to try to get success for them. That's what you do as a manager, work every hour God sends to try to get a result.

We are doing the right things in the information we give them, we do the right things in training. We just asked them there. They all said they are more than happy with the way they are treated and the work they do.

When they step over the white line they have to be confident they can affect the game, not just drift through it.''

Angry words were exchanged in the visiting dressing room after the loss.

There comes a stage where you have to say 'enough is enough','' Baraclough said.

I hope one or two are maybe thinking 'I haven't got many more chances'.

We had to get something off our chest. We try to be calm and calculated but tonight was a night for the outpouring of emotion and how I feel about, not just this evening, but how we need to be to win games of football.

I look at the difference between (our players and) Samuel, who fought for every morsel of the ball he could get for this team, and that wasn't there for us in the first half. It improved second half, we got on top of the game, but we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.''

Morton boss Jim Duffy hailed his side for bouncing back from McDonald's equaliser deep into injury time.

Samuel added to his 11th-minute strike nine minutes into extra time and Michael Tidser made it three before Louis Moult netted a late lifeline.

Duffy said: You can feel sorry for yourselves or roll your sleeves up and show you have a bit about you, and the players certainly did that.

I can't remember Derek Gaston making a real save in the 90 minutes and then they score in injury time and it was a real kick in the teeth that could have knocked the stuffing out of us, but fair play to the players, not just for their resolve but for the way they played.

I think we deserved it, I don't think there's any doubt about that.''