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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Fraser Wilson

Graham Alexander makes 'terrible' Motherwell admission as boss vows to find the answers after Dundee draw

Graham Alexander admitted he's going through a rough patch along with his players as the Steelmen made it 10 league games without a victory against a Dundee side decimated by covid and injuries.

The Well boss accused his side of wasting an opportunity in the battle for Europe by picking up just one point from back-to-back home games against the Dens men and Ross County.

They had to fight back from an early setback after a Stephen O’Donnell error allowed Paul McMullan to curl home the opener after six minutes.

Joe Efford netted his first Well goal to salvage a point. But Alexander whose side amazingly still sit just a point off fourth place said: “We have had a cracking first two thirds of the season where we have raised expectations and hopes and shown what a good team we are, and found the last two months difficult.

“But the last two games have been a big disappointment for us.

“We got into this spell after the Rangers game and felt we could pick up some big points which we knew would put us in a really good position and we have sort of wasted that opportunity.

“Amazingly enough, that opportunity is still there for us because of results elsewhere, and that's what we have got to focus on.

“This isn't my first rough patch and it won't be my last, it won't be my players' last rough patch, so you have to find the answers to come through it, because we have good players and good characters.

“But they are having a difficult moment and we have to help them, and that's what we will do.

“I think every club outside the top two have had a similar spell. We were flying pre-Christmas and there were other clubs who hadn't won for nine or 10 games.

“Every team has been affected but most of the teams have come out of it. We will come out of it but we have to come out of it right now if we want to give ourselves a chance of making this season count.”

O’Donnell’s early error left Well chasing the game.

And Alexander said: “We gave a terrible goal away which just opened it up for the opposition to have a really positive start and feel good about themselves. But to be fair to the players we responded well and got a good equaliser.

“We should have then really stamped our authority on the game but I don't think we did that. We did it in spells here and there but we never had enough sustained pressure or quality in the final third to get that winning goal.

“All the things were there for us but you have to start well and we started in terrible fashion. The goal was so poor. It changes momentum, gets our crowd edgy, gets us edgy, makes them puff their chests out and feel better about themselves.

“That's what goals can do when two teams are looking for that glimmer of light. They got it but my players responded well and got that goal.

“But it is a missed opportunity, 100 per cent. I said before the game, regardless of what team they put out, we have had a good record here at Fir Park this season and we go into every game expecting to win. That was the case today but we obviously fell short.”

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