Motherwell under-20s extended their unbeaten league start to four matches with a convincing win over Partick Thistle.
An Alex Fisher brace and a goal from Deimantas Petravičius secured the three points on a rainy Tuesday night.
Stephen Craigan named a strong starting line-up as the under-20s returned to a familiar venue in the Excelsior Stadium, with Fisher and Petravičius joined by Craig Tanner in an experienced and lively front three.
And the trio were heavily involved from the off, with Tanner’s neat flick forcing a foul on the edge of the Thistle box which he duly took – striking a low effort towards the oppositie corner, but the home side’s trialist keeper did well to turn it round his post.
The English midfielder was involved again just after the 15th minute, this time receiving the ball from Petravičius, but he pulled his left-footed effort just wide of the near post.
Less than a minute later though, Motherwell took the lead and it was the Lithuanian who was at the heart of things again – performing some neat step-overs to beat his marker before sending in a perfect cross which Fisher powerfully headed beyond the Thistle stopper.
Ten minutes later it was the trickery and pace of Petravičius which won the Steelmen a penalty and led to their second of the game. Fisher stepped up and finished low and hard to the bottom right corner– sending the keeper the wrong way.
The second half got off to a fast start and Petravičius got himself the goal his performance deserved inside the opening five minutes, picking up the ball on the right hand side before bursting past Ross Fleming with ease and striking a low effort underneath the Jags keeper.
Fisher should have had his hattrick before the hour mark when Petravičius unselfishly squared for the Englishman to tap in to an empty net, but he somehow skewered his effort wide from six yards.
And he would miss out on his third goal too – with Craigan withdrawing the goalscorer and Tanner from the action just after the hour mark and brining on James Scott and Dylan Falconer.
The hosts grew in to the game in the final ten minutes and nearly bagged a consolation when a neat ball from Callum Wilson fed in striker Kevin Nisbet, but the youngsters powerful effort rattled the far post.
The danger wasn’t past though, and the Thistle number nine picked up the ball almost immediately after and, despite calls for offside from the ‘Well defence, he got his strike away, only to be denied by a strong hand from Morrison.