Motherwell had to settle for a share of the points for the third successive league game, when once again their performance merited all three.
After falling behind to Lewis Mayo’s early opening goal, ‘Well’s first half pressure paid off when Theo Bair grabbed the equaliser and his fifth goal in four games.
Although they dominated the second half and forced a string of saves from the Killie ‘keeper, the Steelmen, brilliantly led by the fast improving Bair, failed to get the winner they thoroughly deserved.
Despite the influx of new arrivals during the transfer window, Stuart Kettlewell stuck by the same eleven which started against St Johnstone last week.
Meanwhile, ‘Well fans cast an envious eye towards the Killie dug-out and their former hero Kevin Van Veen, who had to be content with a place on the visitor’s bench on his return to Fir Park.
In a promising start the Fir Park side forced three corners in the opening five minutes.
However, in their first threat on Liam Kelly’s goal after 12 minutes, Killie nicked the lead. After a possible foul on Davor Zdravkovski, Paul McGinn’s headed clearance only found Mayo at the edge of the box. And in a swirling wind he did well to control his volley and send the ball low and into the net off Kelly’s left-hand post.
The Steelmen then showed great resilience to keep the play and threat towards the visitor’s goal.
After 25 minutes Blair Spittal worked a 1-2 with Bair before his angled left foot drive forced Will Dennis into a diving save.
The hard running Bair was causing the Rugby Park defenders some anxiety and after Joe Wright had hauled the striker to the ground and earn a yellow card, Spittal fire another drive over the crossbar.
Then in the 37th minute ‘Well deservedly found the equaliser. Andy Halliday won the ball in the centre of the park allowing Spittal to release Bair between Wright and Findlay. Showing great composure the ‘Well striker raced onto the through ball before confidently steering his drive low past Dennis for a fine finish and his seventh goal of the season.
From then until half-time the home side, with Bevis Mugabi frequently deployed as an attacking right wing back, pressed for a second goal with only a couple of last gasp tackles from Wright and Findlay preventing Bair and then Harry Paton getting a strike at goal.
Motherwell started the second half where they left off testing the Killie ‘keeper within three minutes of the restart.
Spittal swung his free kick to the unmarked Halliday at the back of the six-yard box and his downward header was pushed away by Dennis.
Four minutes later the ‘keeper produced a better save to deny ‘Well the lead. Spittal was again the provider sliding the ball into Bair at the corner of the box who advanced towards goal only to see his shot destined for the far corner palmed away by Dennis at full stretch.
The pressure on the Killie goal was intense and Georgie Gent’s low cross into the six yard area found Dennis pouncing to smother the ball as Paton and O’Donnell anticipating a slip.
With 68 minutes played and desperate to change the flow of the game, Derek McInnes made a double substitution while leaving Van Veen on the bench.
It almost had an immediate impact as Gent’s attempted headed clearance saw the ball caught in the swirling wind, sending it back towards his own goal and narrowly past the post.
That was a rare threat from the Ayrshire side and Liam Kelly who ended the 90 minutes without a single save, as the action returned towards the visitor’s goal.
A long ball from Kelly was instantly controlled by O’Donnell before setting up Paton who drove the ball across Dennis and beyond the ‘keeper’s far post.
With 15 minutes remaining Kettlewell traded young legs for old, sending on Lennon Miller for Halliday, who had added a much needed presence to the ‘Well midfield.
Six minutes from the end ‘Wells appeals for a penalty, when Findlay caught Spittal at the corner of the box, were ignored by the referee and VAR.
In added time, though, it was Gent who almost stole the headlines and the winner with a right foot effort from 18 yards which had Dennis scrambling across his line to push away.
