Hapless Motherwell were eliminated by Championship side Raith Rovers in their Scottish Cup fifth round tie, losing 3-1 to put more pressure on the beleaguered side.
Goals from Jamie Gullan, Sam Stanton and debutant Ismael Goncalves heaped more pressure on 'Well boss Steven Hammell, whose side are locked in a relegation battle and have only a win against Arbroath in this competition to their name since October. The match started in cagey fashion amid the backdrop of two sides in contrasting form locking horns. One was looking to go unbeaten across all competitions in 12 games while the other hadn't won a league match since Hallowe'en, and a fright would appear inside the first half when Callum Slattery was penalised for handball.
Gullan duly dispatched to spark dreams of a big cup win for the Championship hosts and Dylan Easton came so close to doubling their lead moments later, a curled effort just nicking off the post as it went wide. It was far from the start Hammell needed, and then Stanton beat away goalkeeper Liam Kelly as the ball looped in the air, bundling home before half-time, it was all going horribly wrong for the away team backed by fans in their thousands.
