Stuart Kettlewell insisted the thought of the sack did not cross his mind despite Motherwell requiring a last-gasp equaliser to claim a 1-1 cinch Premiership draw at home to St Johnstone.
The Steelmen looked set for another damaging defeat after Bevis Mugabi turned the ball into his own net following a goalkeeping error from Liam Kelly, though they would salvage a point when Mika Beireth brilliantly headed home in stoppage time.
Motherwell are now 13 games without a league win, a run that has seen them drop to 10th in the table – with only goal difference separating them and St Johnstone.
“I don’t think about it if I’m being honest, it’s not something that goes through my mind,” Kettlewell said.
“I probably just felt that we at least got our just rewards for what the game was and everything that happened in the game.
“When the emotion is the way it is and the run that you are on just now, it certainly doesn’t stop the fact it makes our group feel a lot better and the environment inside this stadium becomes better.
“It’s not what we wanted We didn’t want to come and just pick up a point, we were avidly going for three – but I just felt our confidence takes another dip when we concede that silly goal.”
Having levelled in injury time, Well have now struck late over the last three Saturdays to earn a dramatic point.
Kettlewell feels it is a good demonstration of the fighting qualities within his squad and that they are continuing to fight to address the slump that has seen them fail to record a victory since September.
“Everybody is always looking for a story to write and that somebody’s body language wasn’t right, somebody wasn’t running in the game, or you see someone being petulant in among such a bad run that we find ourselves on,” he added.
“I would challenge anybody to tell me that they have seen that today and again that is probably epitomised by that injury-time goal – we are trying exceptionally hard to get results and turn it around.
“I believe they’ve got my back and I sure as heck know I’ve got theirs as well. I think more often than not, that’s the formula to get you out of a sticky patch.”
Craig Levein admitted he thought his St Johnstone team had done enough to record a priceless victory at Fir Park.
The former Hearts boss has made an excellent start to life at Saints, picking up 11 points from six matches, though they slipped into the relegation play-off spot after Saturday’s draw.
“Stuart’s team have done quite well late on in matches and we had spoken about that,” Levein said.
“I thought we had defended really well the whole game and for once I was sitting there relatively confident we could see it out – little do I know.
“I don’t know yet (if it was a good point), I’ll wake up during the night and think about that.”
Levein felt that failing to capitalise on a strong spell following their opener eventually proved to be costly for Saints.
Chris Kane missed a glorious chance and Graham Carey’s free-kick cannoned off the crossbar with the goalkeeper beaten.
“We played well in that period of the game and then Graham has hit a brilliant free-kick, an inch or two lower and that’s in as well,” he added.
“I think we needed to get to two but I’ve got to give credit to Motherwell for knuckling down and getting themselves back into the game.”
Al-Ahli 1-2 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic double keeps Saudi champions perfect
Aleksandar Mitrovic proved to be the difference once again for Al-Hilal as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions beat Al-Ahli 2-1 on Saturday.
Al-Ahil went in front with 12 minutes played when Gabri Veiga was sent through on goal by Franck Kessie, with the Spaniard rounding Yassine Bounou to open the scoring at King Abdullah Sports City.
The hosts went close to doubling their advantage soon after, with Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney going close, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his effort cleared off the line at the other end.
But parity was restored early in the second half through Al-Hilal's master marksman, as Mitrovic nodded home a trademark header from Renan Lodi's delivery.
Al-Ahil were then awarded a penalty when Rayan Hamed fouled Malcom inside the box, only for Mitrovic to see his effort saved by Abdulrahman Al Sanbi.
However, the Serbian was given the chance to redeem himself after the VAR deemed encroachment had taken place, and he made no mistake at the second time of asking to net his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Data Debrief: Mitrovic the main man
Mitrovic has been in fine form since his move to Saudi Arabia, with his latest double taking his tally to 54 goals in as many appearances for Al-Hilal.
This time out, he contributed 1.16 expected goals (xG) tally to the visitors' 2.24 total, while also recording the most touches in the opposition box (six).
Malcom also impressed for Al-Hilal, creating more chances (three) than anyone on the pitch, with his 14 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Ruben Neves (18) and Salem Al Dawsari (15) among his team-mates.
Al-Nassr 3-0 Al-Orubah: Mane double helps hosts close in on leaders
Sadio Mane scored a goal in either half, helping Al-Nassr cruise to a 3-0 win over Al-Orubah and close in on the top two in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given the hosts the lead from the spot, setting them on their way to a dominant victory.
After a slow start, Jean Seri was penalised for a handball, and Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot. After a stuttering run-up, he coolly slotted his strike into the bottom-left corner.
Mane got his first on the stroke of half-time, latching onto Ronaldo's pull-back before firing his low shot into the far side of the net.
He could have had a hat-trick, having also hit the woodwork and squandered a first-time shot by slicing it wide, but he did get his second in the 71st minute, guiding Nawaf Bu Washi's cross past Gaetan Coucke.
Cristian Tello came closest to a consolation for the visitors, smashing a long-range effort off the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Mane's time to shine
Mane, so far this season, has been providing the spark as a playmaker after registering five assists in Al-Nassr's first five games in the Saudi Pro League.
Today, however, he regained his scoring touch, getting his first two goals of the campaign.
He had the most shots (five), and shots on target (three), as he accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), while his seven touches in the box was the most of any player on the field.
Napoli 3-1 Como: Lukaku and McTominay on target to extend hosts' Serie A lead
Romelu Lukaku continued his fine start to life at Napoli as the Belgian notched a goal and two assists in his side's 3-1 win over Como on Friday.
The hosts found themselves ahead with just 26 seconds on the clock when Scott McTominay was picked out by Lukaku, with the Scotland international firing home his first goal for Gli Azzurri off the post.
But Como would draw themselves level two minutes before the break when Gabriel Strefezza's strike from distance rifled into the bottom corner.
However, Antonio Conte's side needed just eight minutes after the interval to restore their advantage when Sergi Roberto brought down Mathias Olivera in the box, with Lukaku stepping up from 12 yards to net his fourth Serie A goal of the season.
Napoli continued to push for a third goal to secure the victory, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going closest but saw his effort saved by Emil Audero.
But the points were sealed in the 86th minute when Lukaku turned provider once again, holding off his marker before slipping through substitute David Neres who slotted home with a fine finish to extend Napoli's lead at the top of the standings to four points.
Data Debrief: Lukaku continues Conte love story
Lukaku has been a player reborn under Conte's stewardship. The Belgian is the player who has been involved in the most goals in his first five appearances for Napoli in Serie A since the Italian top-flight returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05) with three goals and four assists.
He has also managed to better his assist tally for the whole of last season, managing just three in 32 appearances for Roma last term.
McTominay's goal after 26 seconds is the third-fastest scored by Napoli since the start of a Serie A match in the three points for a win era, after Hirving Lozano's goal against Hellas Verona in 2021 (nine seconds) and Ezequiel Lavezzi's goal against Genoa in 2008 (25 seconds).
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