Sutton and Clarkson will be key for Motherwell

By: Ian Rose | September 14th, 2008

As we continue our ongoing preview of Motherwell’s entry into the UEFA Cup this week, I wanted to take a closer look at the two main offensive threats for the Well, David Clarkson and John Sutton. Though Motherwell have had their problems early in this SPL campaign, the strike combination of Clarkson and Sutton has proved to be one of the most dangerous in the league, and it will be primarily up to these two to break down the tough back line of Nancy.

David Clarkson, nephew of fallen former Motherwell captain Phil O’Donnell, had a breakout season last year, helping Motherwell into Europe with 13 goals, and doing his part for country as well. He scored the only Scotland goal in his debut match, a friendly against the Czech Republic. He has matured from a promising young talent for the future into a real and present threat for any opposing defense, netting three times in Motherwell’s first five matches including one against Celtic this weekend. On the opening day of the season, when the Well traveled to Tynecastle to take on Hearts, he scored two, doing more than his share in what had to be a very disappointing 3-2 loss.

Looking at the league table, one might be surprised to hear that the only SPL team with two three-goal scorers so far is Motherwell. The other besides Clarkson is John Sutton, who has been far and away the most important offensive weapon for Motherwell so far. I say most important because aside from his consolation goal against Celtic on Saturday, both of his other goals this season have translated directly into points for his club. Before the international break, he scored late to take an important 1-0 win away at Hibernian. The week before that, he scored the only Motherwell goal in a 1-1 draw at home with Dundee United. He has been clutch, and the Well will need him to continue that trend if they want to advance in Europe.

Between the two, Nancy will have two real goalscoring strikers to deal with. There’s no question that the Motherwell defense is suspect (3 goals to Hearts, 4 to Celtic), but up front, there’s a lot to be hopeful about.