Solholm shows he has the steel to keep Fir Park men on the rise

THE wall of noise that accompanied the home side’s celebratory stroll around the field at full-time emanated from something beyond the 90 minutes we’d just witnessed. An uncertain start to the season for Motherwell has now been left far behind. there is an identity to Graham Alexander’s evolving team — one that’s clearly struck a chord with those who may have wondered where this was all going just a few weeks back. three straight league wins have been pieced together for the first time in almost two years. New heroes have emerged. Ahead of a trip to ibrox next sunday, there’s a sense of momentum gathering. By the time Aberdeen had been convincingly beaten, that League Cup defeat to Airdrie in July felt as if it belonged in a bygone age. Alexander has plugged the gaps that were evident in that match, while the improvement in others has been stark. Norwegian sondre solholm was the latest addition to the ranks on saturday and the defender could scarcely have made a more favourable impression. the partnership he formed with Juhani Ojala was the platform on which a colossal team effort was built. All over the park, Alexander’s men won their battles. With Kevin van Veen and tony Watt in menacing mood in the final third, the result took care of itself. ‘i love that,’ said the 26-year-old solholm, who arrived from Norwegian side Mjondalen, of his introduction to scottish football. ‘it’s what i live for — the duels, the tackles, the heading, everything. the first couple of weeks here have been tough as they train a lot harder than i’m used to. ‘in the 70th minute, i was cramping up in my hamstrings. i think i’ll get my fitness up and adjust to this intensity level in training and matches. it’s unbelievably high. ‘it’s very competitive here and the players are very fit. they’re physical, fast, strong players and the crowd is unbelievable. it was good to get a clean sheet today because they had a few big chances that could have gone in.’ Although Aberdeen enjoyed the majority of the ball, they were largely restricted to shots from distance. they rarely penetrated the opposing defence in the way that Kaiyne Woolery did in the 26th minute. His cross from the right caught Aberdeen’s rearguard napping, allowing Van Veen to plant a header beyond Joe Lewis. Van Veen turned provider just before the hour mark, taking the ball on the left from a smartlyworked free-kick and delivering the cross which Ojala smashed into the net via the underside of the bar. Aberdeen were frustrated at referee John Beaton failing to show Van Veen a merited second yellow card for a number of transgressions. skipper scott Brown and manager stephen Glass were booked for mouthing off, with Dons coach Allan russell seeing red for the same offence at full-time. their own side’s inadequacy was the real story. With five bookings of their own, Motherwell were no shrinking violets here but the victory owed far more to their guile and potency in the final third. Dubbed the Budget Bergkamp by fans of scunthorpe, Van Veen’s goal, assist and general excellence meant he was a shoo-in for man of the match. But this was the epitome of a team effort by the men in claret and amber. You begin to wonder where it might take them. ‘the club i came from back in Norway — it’s a small club,’ added solholm (below). ‘they’re not supposed to be in the top division in Norway in terms of the economy, so we had to work hard for each other. ‘i think that’s why the gaffer brought me over here because i can contribute to the mentality and the team effort that they already have here.’ As Motherwell’s season has taken off, Aberdeen’s has stalled badly. Even allowing for two games with Qarabag, this was a sixth without a victory for Glass’ side. For anyone seeking solace in the seven shots the Dons had on target, none forced Liam Kelly to perform heroics. the nature of the concessions — both closerange headers from routine crosses — did not say much for Aberdeen’s defensive mettle. Having started the season on fire, they have become defensively meek and blunt in front of goal. ‘it is alright dominating between the two 18-yard boxes, but you have to be able to deal with balls in the box,’ said Dons keeper Joe Lewis. ‘We weren’t good enough. You don’t win any game if you don’t defend, have a cutting edge and a ruthlessness in both boxes.’

MOTHERWELL (4-3-3): Kelly 7; Mugabi 7, Solholm 8, Ojala 8, McGinley 7; Grimshaw 7, O’Hara 7, Slattery 7; Woolery 7 (Lamie 72), Watt 7 (Maguire 90); Van Veen 8 (Goss 79).

Subs not used: Fox, Amaluzor, Donnelly, Shields. Booked: Van Veen, Woolery, O’Hara, Grimshaw, Watt.

ABERDEEN (4-3-3): Lewis 5; Ramsay 5 (Bates 62), McCrorie 5, Gallagher 5, MacKenzie 5; Brown 5, Ferguson 5, Longstaff 5 (McLennan 68); Ojo 4 (Emmanuel-Thomas 68), Ramirez 4, Watkins 4. Subs not used: Woods, Hayes, Jenks, Campbell. Booked: Ferguson, McCrorie, Brown. Man of the match: Kevin van Veen. Referee: John Beaton. Attendance: 5,623.