ALEX SAMUEL dropped to his knees for what appeared to be a moment of divine appreciation under the fading Greenock sky.

Hunkered down on the lush Cappielow turf, the striker on loan at Greenock Morton from Swansea City pointed to the stars overhead while gazing into the heavens, no doubt to thank the Big Man upstairs for the opportunity that had just come his way.

There was no need. It was a goal, and indeed a famous victory, that wasn’t as much sent by God but handed over giftwrapped by Motherwell. The ball to the Welshman was poorly defended before his lashed shot soared high into the net, and it would be the first of two occasions the 20-year-old would perform the ritual as his double, along with a Michael Tidser effort, secured a 3-2 extra-time win for Greenock Morton.

The team that has taken the Ladbrokes Championship in its stride since winning promotion in the summer marched its way into the Scottish League Cup fourth round last night and barely put a foot wrong in the process. Ahead through Samuel’s rasping drive on 11 minutes, the speedbumps provided by Scott McDonald’s 92nd minute leveller and a late Louis Moult consolation only briefly slowed their charge.

“We said the players that in extra-time it can go one of two ways,”Said Jim Duffy, the Morton manager. “You can feel sorry for yourselves or you can roll your sleeves up and show people you have a bit about you. The players certainly did that.”

For all Morton’s endeavour deserves credit, the ineffectual nature of Motherwell’s play for the majority of last night is worth examining further. Ian Baraclough, the club’s manager, made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 at Hamilton on Saturday with captain Keith Lasley, top goalscorer Moult and winger Lionel Ainsworth dropped for Jack Leitch, Dom Thomas and Marvin Johnson.

It failed to reap any rewards in a poor first half that saw Motherwell have just two shots on goal while at the other end defender Stephen McManus failed to cut out Peter MacDonald’s pass to Samuel for him to lash into the net with time to spare on 11 minutes.

Morton would also miss two glaring chances to get this game finished in 90 minutes, not to mention a MacDonald drive that cannoned off the post.

Even when the hosts appeared to lose their way in the early part of the second half, substitutes McDonald and Moult failed to add much fluidity to their forays forward when the joined to form a front two. They at least provided more of a target and presence up front, but rarely did any of their team-mates’ hopeful lumps into the box get anywhere near them. Until the 92nd minute, of course, when McDonald prolonged Motherwell’s agony by 30 minutes when he prodded a cute Lionel Ainsworth cross into the net from close range.

Eleven minutes later and the balance of power swung back to Morton, Samuel ghosting into the box to guide a low Denny Johnstone ball across the goal into the net under Connor Ripley. Within seconds the game was stopped for five minutes as crowd trouble in the away end saw police and stewards way in, but things would get even worse after the restart when Tidser poked the ball under the Motherwell keeper with eight minutes remaining.

Moult would snatch a second for the visitors in a late stramash, but the writing was on the wall, and the message from the Motherwell support to their manager was loud and clear as chants about his future at the club rang out loudly above the cheers.

So to were the shouts coming post-match from the Motherwell dressing room, as the screams from inside could be heard bleeding out on to the trackside.

Baraclough said: “There was anger and frustration on the players’ part, we now wait to Saturday to see if there’s a response.

“I hope there are players who realise they’re running out of chances. There comes a stage where you have to say enough’s enough, and I hope one or two are maybe thinking they won’t get too many more chances.

“I can turn this around, for sure. I’m still sure we’re still doing the right things. They say they’re more than happy with the way they’re being treated. They have to be confident they can affact a game, not just drift through it.

“Motherwell’s a place where people have to work hard for everything, and we have to typify that as a football club. I can understand they feel let down and I’m fine with them getting on at me. If they back the players great, but no-one works harder to get success for them than me.

“They let themselves and their families down. I’m up here away from my family to provide for my wife and children. I made sacrifices and they should be too."