Tuesday 28 July 2020 15:13, UK
Motherwell boss Stuart McCall praised returning striker John Sutton after his brace in a 3-1 win over Ross County.
Sutton, who rejoined Motherwell in the summer after two years with Hearts, headed a 54th-minute equaliser in Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash and finished emphatically midway through the half after latching on to Henri Anier's ball over the top.
McCall admitted his SOS to Sutton following Michael Higdon's departure for Holland is paying off.
"I have always liked big Sutty," McCall said. "I was disappointed to lose him but I understood totally when he left. Once I realised he was going to be up for grabs and we lost Higdon, it was a no-brainer for me.
"He is good in the dressing room, he is popular, and if you give him the service, he will score goals. And not only that, he is handful. Everyone looked at big Higdon as a handful and Sutty is the same, and has a bit more mobility if I'm honest.
"I'm delighted for Sutty, he is a really good professional, he works hard at everything he does and he is getting his rewards."
Explaining why he took James McFadden off at the break, McCall added: "Obviously he played 90 minutes on Wednesday. I thought with his goal his confidence would be high. Iain Vigurs pulled out of training on Thursday with a thigh strain.
"He passed a late fitness test but I had already made my mind up, because I thought he would be out completely, that Faddy would start. His hamstring tightened up, which is nothing too serious, after playing 90 minutes and 45 in close proximity."
County manager Derek Adams was happy with his side's football in the opposition half but bemoaned their inability to deal with crosses after the break.
"I thought we played very well in the game as a whole," he said. "The first half we created openings and didn't really look under any threat. I know Brown made a really good save but Richard Brittain had a great chance to make it 2-0 just before half-time.
"The second half we didn't deal well with the cross ball into the box. From that point of view, disappointing, but overall it was a good performance from us."
