'Motherwell not just a bogey team - they're a full-blown nightmare'

I'm fed up watching Dundee United play Motherwell this season.

Fir Park, again, and yet another defeat. That's three games against Motherwell this season and three losses. At this point, they're not just a bogey team - they're a full-blown nightmare.

This time, it was a seven-goal thriller where our soft defending handed them the upper hand, and we just couldn't claw it back.

Motherwell didn't waste time, scoring after just 46 seconds when Apostolos Stamatelopoulos turned in a cross. Potential foul on Declan Gallagher in the build-up? I'd say so. Referee and VAR? Of course not. Typical.

We briefly hit back with Sam Dalby's penalty, but they were ahead again before half-time with two more goals - one bundled in by Andy Halliday, the other a free header for Stamatelopoulos. All preventable. All frustrating.

The second half brought a glimmer of hope. Aston Oxborough's howler gifted Dalby another, but then came a crazy 60 seconds. Louis Moult almost levelled with a shot that smashed off the bar.

Naturally, Motherwell punished us immediately. Tom Sparrow curled in their fourth after some Harlem Globetrotter-esque control with his arm. Handball? Apparently not.

Moult's late header gave us a flicker of belief, but by then it was too little, too late. Motherwell leapt over us in the table and we were left cursing them for the third time this season.

Slack defending and failure to react to loose balls cost us again. The one positive? Dalby keeps banging them in, although even he can't do it all.

Losing to Motherwell is starting to feel like clockwork. Something has to change - because this is getting beyond frustrating. And next up? Celtic on Sunday. Great.

Ronny Costello can be found at The Dode Fox Podcast