The guillotine hangs over the heads of Terry Butcher's young side until next Friday after Eric Deloumeaux came back to haunt his former team-mates with a stunning strike at Fir Park and help confirm their place at the foot of the Bank of Scotland Premier League.

The top-flight clubs vote next week on whether to allow Falkirk promotion from the First Division after Hibernian delayed the decision much to the annoyance of manager Butcher.

But the Lanarkshire outfit were hoping to earn a stay of execution until the final week by reducing Dundee United's four-point advantage.

That looked on the cards when the recalled David Clarkson put them ahead - but goals from Leigh Hinds, Deloumeaux and Paul Sheerin left them dead and buried by the break.

Even before kick-off the vultures were already circling over Fir Park and its youngsters with Preston manager Craig Brown and a number of other scouts in attendance.

James McFadden was certain to be the former Scotland manager's main target and Motherwell started well enough and came within inches of taking the lead after just one minute.

Michael Hart brought down Clarkson and Derek Adams floated an inviting free-kick into the box for David Partridge to head just past the angle from eight yards.

Skipper Scott Leitch also tried to lead by example, but he blazed his right-footed shot high over the bar from 22 yards after some slack defending from Aberdeen.

Aberdeen had Steve Tosh booked for a blatant foul on Stephen Pearson before the home side had calls for a penalty rejected by referee John Rowbotham.

Clarkson seemed to go down under a clumsy challenge of Deloumeaux, but those appeals were in vain.

But the home side deservedly went ahead in the 16th minute when McFadden got to the byline and pulled the ball across the face of goal for Clarkson to score from close range.

Aberdeen responded immediately and they should have gone level just a minute later when Tosh was allowed to come in at the far post to get on the end of Sheerin's cross, but with just Francois Dubourdeau to beat he headed over from eight yards.

The home side never learned from that and two minutes later Aberdeen were level when Leigh Hinds seized on some poor defending to shoot low past the Well goalkeeper.

Motherwell were clearly shaken by the equaliser and took some time to get into their stride again.

And they had their heart ripped out in the 28th minute when Deloumeaux blasted Aberdeen ahead with an audacious 35-yard shot against his former team-mates.

The confidence drained from the Lanarkshire club and Dubourdeau was fortunate not to get punished in the 33rd minute when he failed to get a fist to Sheerin's corner, but the ball dropped kindly and Tony Vaughan was able to get the ball away.

But the goalkeeper was not so lucky a minute later when he spilled Hinds' low shot and Sheerin reacted quickly to side-foot the loose ball into the empty net.

The interval could not come quick enough for Butcher - and Payne almost made the team talk worse in the final minute after another Dubourdeau mistake, but he fired over.

Butcher got the response he was looking for and Clarkson almost scored after a determined run from Pearson in the 50th minute, but Hart blocked his effort.

A minute later and they went even closer, but somehow failed to reduce the deficit.

Steve Hammell's shot was blocked on the line by Payne and Peter Kjaer reacted instantly to jump on the loose ball.

But Motherwell survived another counter in the 58th minute when Hammell diverted Hinds' cross just past his own post and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

McFadden attempted to revive his side singlehandedly with a thrilling run which took him past three players, but Kevin McNaughton slid in to block his shot.

Partridge then missed a glorious chance to pull his side back into contention, but he headed McFadden's cross wide from six yards.

Butcher decided drastic action was needed and he brought Tony Vaughan and Adams off to the cheers of the home crowd and on came Richard Offiong and Steven Craig.

The home side finished strongly and Clarkson was close to getting his second when he got on the end of Martyn Corrigan's cross, but his head was saved by Kjaer's feet.

The Danish keeper produced an even better save in the 72nd minute to deny Keith Lasley's 25-yard drive from creeping into the corner with a dive at full stretch.

Offiong also caused problems, but he did not know too much about McFadden's cross moments later which clipped his heal and spun just wide.

Kjaer again came to the rescue of his side in the 76th minute as he bravely got down to the feet of McFadden to block his effort.

But the youngster fired the home side back into the game with eight minutes left after the referee spotted a handball from one of the Aberdeen players.

Moments later Dubourdeau saved from Sheerin before Offiong wasted a great chance to level.

Clarkson flicked on Craig's cross to the striker, but he headed wide from four yards with five minutes remaining.

But that would not have mattered as news filtered through that Dundee United had scored a late killer goal to condemn bottom side Motherwell to a week of misery.

Teams

Motherwell: Dubourdeau, Corrigan, Vaughan (Craig 64), Partridge, Hammell, Lasley, Leitch, Adams (Offiong 63), Pearson, Clarkson, McFadden.

Subs Not Used: Woods, McDonald, Quinn.

Goals: Clarkson 16, McFadden 84 pen.

Aberdeen: Kjaer, McNaughton, Tiernan, Deloumeaux, Payne, Tosh (O'Donoghue 89), Hart, Sheerin, Clark (McAllister 75), Macki Hinds.

Subs Not Used: D'Jaffo, Michie, Preece.

Booked: Tosh.

Goals: Hinds 19, Deloumeaux 28, Sheerin 34.

Att: 4,731

Ref: J Rowbotham (Scotland).