On Christmas Eve, the playmaker scored in a stroll through Fir Park with his old Norwich teammate.
On a Lanarkshire Christmas Eve, when the heavens opened and the wind howled, it wasn’t all about attitude and application.
In the Rangers’ triumph at Fir Park, a good amount of skill was combined with the qualities Philippe Clement considers essential. They destroyed a Motherwell team who appeared to have more faith in Santa Claus than in their ability to defeat a Rangers team early on in their impressive run of 16 games without a loss.
Naturally, the fact that Stuart Kettlewell’s team had lost all 14 of their prior games—now 15—had some bearing on it. And by the time they got over their inferiority complex, Kieran Dowell and Todd Cantwell had already given them two goals in the space of sixteen minutes, and the points were halfway to Ibrox. Cantwell was crucial to everything Rangers accomplished in the first half, but he was pleased to later emphasize the role played by Dowell, his former teammate at Norwich City, who has performed well in the team’s past games after returning from a protracted injury hiatus.
Kevin Van Veen applauds the fans during a cinch Premiership match between Motherwell and Ross County
Kevin Van Veen sparks transfer chase amid Rangers admission as Groningen confirm record breaker can godailyrecord
The midfielder said: “I feel sorry for Kieran. He had a tough injury not long after he signed which is difficult because it changes what it looks like for him. He came in, looked good and has been injured since.
FS – Greg Taylor discusses Celtic’s win over Rangers as well as his ding-dong with Todd Cantwell
“Fair play to him for his consistency in training. Every single day he has been consistent. He is a top footballer, there is no secret to that. I’ve had the joy of playing with him at Norwich and we were successful there. That’s the plan here too.”
They certainly dovetailed well on Christmas Eve as Cantwell and his team-mates defied the conditions as well as a Motherwell side which started poorly but improved after the break. The Englishman added: “It was tough, about as windy a game as I’ve played in to be honest. It was quite hard to get out of our half in the second half.
“But we came to win and it’s not always going to be as pretty as you might like. We got two early goals which I think really helped us because we didn’t have to chase the game at that point.
“We had to show a bit of resilience to get the win. I don’t think, it was a particularly enjoyable game to watch. But sometimes the best teams have to find a way to win in all sorts of conditions.
“Things are not always going to go your way and today we made sure that we got the win and kept the clean sheet again.”
Cantwell’s goal – a fine finish at the end of a long flowing passing move – was his first in the league this season but the playmaker isn’t beating himself up about his tally. And he is hopeful that now playing in his preferred No 10 role, rather than out wide right, more will follow.
He said: “It’s nice to score but it’s not something I put loads of pressure on myself over. I know the type of player I am and what I bring to the team, but it is nice to score for sure.
“I enjoy that position, there is no secret behind that whatsoever. It’s a position where I feel I play my best football. I don’t know if I am showing my best football right now, but I am getting to that level and enjoying playing in that position for sure.”
If Rangers were pleased with their afternoon’s work, Motherwell were less so. Fir Park boss Stuart Kettlewell was frustrated with his side’s start to the game on Sunday, calling his players naive after falling 2-0 behind in just 16 minutes.
He said: “The first few minutes defined the game. Call it what you will – fragility, soft underbelly, whatever you want to call it, but for the first goal it’s harder to concede one than it is to retain the ball and play it into a better area.
“The biggest frustration is that we addressed that and identified it before the game. It is so naive from our point of view, For the second goal, we know Cantwell is good around the box but I call it emergency defending – put your body on the line for your team.
“We showed a great reaction in the second half and created some moments. I am confident that these players can turn it around. I’ve seen the evidence that they can pick up a good number of points at this level.
“I don’t think they’ve become bad football players but at times in games, they’ve become bad decision makers.”
And he felt his team should have had a spot kick from one of the two claims they made after the break. Kettlewell said: “The Brodie Spencer penalty claim might have been a soft one. There was only marginal contact.
“But the pull on Mika Biereth’s arm (by Dessers) when he looks favourite to get a touch at the back post, I’ve seen them given as penalties constantly and Rangers have benefited from a number of incidents like that. Are we checking them? I’m not sure that one was checked,”
