County went into the match four points behind third-placed Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premier League after their defeat at home to Dundee United on Saturday, but with two matches left, Derek Adams' side knew they had a small chance of finishing in the top three.

However, County made a poor start as James McFadden gave Motherwell the lead after just eight minutes, with the second-placed side getting an early stranglehold on the match.

County pushed for an equaliser, but they were ultimately undone again as Chris Humphrey struck in the 45th minute to double Motherwell’s lead and the visitors never fought back, making a top-three finish impossible.

Sunday's other SPL game saw Hibernian pick up their first away win in four years against Hearts at Tynecastle in the Edinburgh derby.

Darren Barr gave the home side a 45th-minute lead before Hibernian turned the fixture on its head with two fantastic goals. 
Leigh Griffiths first scored a sublime free-kick and, after a tense second half, Ross Caldwell scored the winner with a curling effort in the 90th minute, ensuring Hibernian move above Hearts and into ninth in the SPL.
On Saturday, Celtic lifted the SPL trophy as champions after their resounding 4-0 home win over Champions League hopefuls St Johnstone, while relegated Dundee lost 3-2 at home to Kilmarmock, who in turn move up to eighth.

St Mirren and Aberdeen played out a 0-0 draw at Greenhill Road, a result that keeps the hosts second from bottom in the SPL.