Motherwell Colts became only the second-ever young side to reach the third round of the IRN-BRU Cup with a 2-1 win over Dundee.
Goals from Kyle MacDonald and Broque Watson, either side of a Jordan Armstrong own goal, ensured the youngsters are in next week’s draw.
Manager Stephen Craigan rang the changes from the side which defeated Hibernian Reserves on Monday.
Rohan Ferguson, Akeel Rehman, Jake Hastie, Armstrong and MacDonald were all recalled, as the young Steelmen looked to follow up on the first team’s recent victory at Dens.
It would be the visitors who would make the breakthrough. With the wingbacks getting forward plenty, it would be MacDonald who would open the scoring.
Holding the ball up centrally and looking for options, the right wing back instead elected to unleash a left-footed drive which fizzed into the top left corner of the net.
It was almost instantly two. George Newell worked space on the edge of the area and got away a low drive which was beaten out of the bottom right corner by the goalkeeper.
From the resulting corner, Turnbull’s downward header was hacked off the line.
Motherwell continued to dominate. MacDonald again tried his luck with a surging run into the box, before his shot was knocked behind by a busy Dundee keeper.
Against the run of play, the hosts would level just before the interval. A whipped cross into the box just needed a touch to guide it goalwards, but it would come from the unfortunate head of Armstrong, who left goalkeeper Ferguson helpless as the ball hit the net.
Motherwell continued to dominate in the second half but it took 20 minutes for their first real chance to fall.
Chasing down a long through ball, Hastie burst past two Dundee defenders to bear down on goal. Stepping inside onto his left one-on-one with the goalkeeper, his shot was blocked by the stopper’s feet.
As the latter stages of the game progressed, things started to open up. Lambert’s snap shot from close range was thankfully straight at Ferguson, while up the other end an acrobatic effort from Krones was well gathered by Jackson.
With five minutes remaining, Dundee should have wrapped things up. Scott found himself room in the box and, having taken Armstrong out of the game, had a left-footed attempt from 10 yards which somehow bent past the post.
That jolted the young Steelmen and immediately they went up the other end and won it. Turnbull made room and cut the ball to Watson inside the box, who curled the ball past the goalkeeper to put Motherwell 2-1 ahead.
Ferguson then had to pull out the heroics late on to keep the hosts out on several occasions, ensuring his side progressed.
