Hibs were leading 1-0 thanks to a 16th-minute strike from Garry O'Connor when fans were asked to vacate the stadium after the teams failed to reappear for the second half due to an electrical fire. Several fire engines appeared behind the South Stand, housing the away supporters, during the first half and numerous stewards and police gathered behind the structure amid coded messages over the public address system. One of the floodlights in the South Stand went out after a 10-minute delay in the teams reappearing, and moments later it was announced the SPL match had been abandoned. The police match commander, Chief Inspector Brian Connel, explained the circumstances behind the decision. He said: "Shortly before half-time, we saw smoke on the CCTV system. This was coming from the south-east corner of the South Stand. "The investigation of that identified that there was smoke and also the smell of burning and I had no option but to call in Fire & Rescue. "They identified the seat of the fire was in the electrical framework for the lighting column. Initially it was clear there had been an electrical fire. "They managed to isolate part of that frame however I could not be given assurance there was not the danger of further fire or the fact they would need to isolate the light, whereby the floodlight would have been off anyway. "The match officials delayed the start of the second half as long as they could but, not getting the assurance it was going to be safe, we had to abandon the match." More than 6,500 fans had been inside Fir Park for the second Friday night match in the SPL this season, the larger-than-average crowd coming after Motherwell reduced admission fees and allowed season-ticket holders to bring a friend for free. Motherwell manager Stuart McCall, who was playing for Bradford when fire killed 56 people at Valley Parade in 1985, fully backed the decision to call off the game. McCall, whose father was injured in the Bradford fire, said: "The lads were desperate to get back out but it could be worse, we could have been winning 1-0, you feel for Hibs. "But one million percent, safety has to come first. Having been involved in the Bradford fire, when they started talking about wires burning and it could flare up..." The fire was the second emergency of the evening, with a Motherwell fan in the Davie Cooper Stand treated for heart problems as the game kicked off. The supporter was taken away by ambulance staff but there was no update on his condition after the game. Fenlon could not have experienced a more dramatic introduction to Scottish football. The Irishman, who joined Hibs from Bohemians, said: "It was only when we got in at half-time that I realised there was a small problem. I thought it would have been sorted out, but unfortunately it hasn't been. "I've had floodlight failure, but never anything like that. I don't think I've been involved in a game that got cancelled." Fenlon was encouraged by his team's response to his first week in the role after watching them lose 3-1 to St Johnstone from the stand last weekend. Hibs, playing a 4-2-3-1 system, closed Motherwell down very quickly and appeared to have boosted their work rate significantly to restrict their hosts to few chances. And they edged ahead in the 16th minute when Garry O'Connor produced a clinical first-time finish after Stevie Hammell's shot had come back off the post. "It's down to the players, they've worked hard all week and tonight," Fenlon said. "If you work hard, then more than likely most nights it will go for you. "When you put in a shift like that, you get what you deserve and that's what we've got to take from tonight, the positives of the performance for 45 minutes."
