St Mirren and Motherwell will go again in ten days time after a goal from Watford loanee Alex Jakubiak ensured a Scottish Cup fifth round replay for the Buddies against the Well.
Ilkay Durmus almost had the Buddies in front inside five minutes. His strike from close range connected with the post as the Well were let off with an early escape.
The Steelmen were putting the pressure on themselves and eventually it paid off. A Chris Long effort as he broke through on goal with Vaclav Hladky was well saved before Mark O’Hara followed up for the rebound.
A potential handball was then waved away by Andrew Dallas as St Mirren players protested for a penalty. The wind was beginning to play a factor too as the ball sometimes completely changed direction with a sudden gust.
Rolando Aarons had what looked like a cross tipped over the bar as looked to be creeping into the net in the early stages of the second half. The game had descended into a scrap as the conditions worsened, Saints looked for a goal and Motherwell looked to hold their lead.
It was the Buddies though who hit next. Jakubiak beat Mark Gillespie with a nice finish into the bottom corner with less than 20 minutes to go. O’Hara then missed a huge chance to reclaim the Well lead, flashing a shot wide.
This fifth round tie will be played again a week on Tuesday. Here are three things we learned.
Wind plays part
Both sides had to battle the conditions in Paisley. After the first 20 minutes subsided, every ball into the air was unpredictable due to the high winds at play throughout the afternoon.
Whilst both sides seemed to acknowledge this and tried to get it on the deck, it was inevitable that at some stage the ball would be airborne.
When it did take flight, there was no real prediction that could be made over where it was going to go.
Jakubiak could be useful for Buddies
It’s been well documented that the forward area is where St Mirren have to improve to survive another season in the Premiership. On the basis of this performance, Watford loanee Jakubiak could be that man.
The striker showed flashes of pace playing alongside Jonathan Obika. Strength was another quality utilised as he gave Declan Gallagher plenty of problems in Paisley.
He got his rewards too with a lovely bottom corner finish 15 minutes from time.
Familiar foes
This was the third time Motherwell and St Mirren have faced each other. Another two encounters will ensue after this recent tussle within the next ten days. Motherwell host St Mirren in league action next Saturday before the cup replay on Tuesday 18th.
So far it’s been two Motherwell wins and a draw. St Mirren will be looking to improve that record over the next ten days whilst the Well will be keen to keep causing the Buddies trouble.