Motherwell host Hamilton Academical in the first Lanarkshire derby of the 2016/17 season tomorrow.
The fixture comes at a time when the rivals next to one another in the Premiership table, with Accies in 9th and the Steelmen in 8th, joint on five points.
The derby clash is a big occasion for ‘Well fans and Hamilton supporters alike, but for Mark McGhee, Saturday’s fixture presents an opportunity for his side to spring into form following a number of new arrivals and the return of some key players from injury.
Speaking to the press yesterday, McGhee described Saturday’s clash as a measure for the season ahead.
He said: “This is our local derby and it’s hugely important to our supporters.
“It’s a game when suddenly there’s more supporters than the 4,000 that turn up here every Saturday and that’s because everybody in the local area is a
Motherwell or Hamilton supporter in some shape or form and of course there’s the traditional bragging rights to that.”
He added: “It’s a massive game and it’s also a game against a team who I would presume or expect to be at the same level as us.
“Therefore we’re going to be competing with Hamilton and teams like that around us in our mission to get in to the top six.
“It’s an opportunity for us to get a measure on how likely that is to pan out.
“If we can get one over Hamilton here at Fir Park, it puts us in a good frame of mind for the season ahead.”
The last time the Fir Parkers took on their rivals, a solitary strike from Louis Laing, who has recently moved to Notts County on loan, was enough to secure all three points for the ‘Well at New Douglas Park.
While it’s been a tough place for the Steelmen to visit in recent years, the story has been different at home, with a number of high scoring league games over the past few seasons, including a 4-0 home win for the Fir Parkers back in March 2015.
But as with most derbies, it can often be a tough one to call, with both sides notching impressive wins over the seasons.
Saturday’s fixture will be no different, with both sides hungry to add three points to the board.
Last seasons top scorer Louis Moult recovering from injury is a huge boost for manager Mark McGhee.
His return would be massively significant for any Motherwell fixture this season, let alone the all-important Lanarkshire derby.
Stepping off the bench last weekend and converting from the penalty spot to level proceedings at the Global Energy Stadium was the mark of the strikers hard work and determination to come back from an arduous injury spell.
This weekend’s big match could be Moult’s first start since returning to full fitness, making him the one to watch this week.
“It’s great to be back and to get a goal on my return” the forward said; “but ultimately I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the three points last weekend.
“I thought we did well on the whole and it actually became a bit more difficult for us when they went down to ten due to the way they had to alter their shape.”
Last Saturday was the end to Moult’s injury lay-off, and the Englishman admitted it was tough being out of action.
He said: “It was frustrating for me to have to sit on the side-lines, but in a way it came at a good time with the extra week given to us from the international break.
“It was important that we didn’t rush back and now I’ve managed to gain more fitness now because of that extra week.
“I’ve had two full weeks of training before the game tomorrow, so I like to think I’m ready and I know that I’m raring to go.”
The Englishman got a good taste of the Lanarkshire Derby last season and is glad he’s back for Saturday’s game.
He said: “I’m looking forward to it tomorrow, I’ve just come back to the team last week so I know I’m not guaranteed to start.”
“Having played in this fixture last season I know what the atmosphere is like. We managed to get a good result at their place and we should have won here as well but they managed to get a last-minute penalty, so it would be nice to go out there and get the win tomorrow.”
Hamilton Accies don’t need much of an introduction to ‘Well fans, with the Lanarkshire Derby a standout in the fixture list for both sets of supporters.
Since Hamilton’s promotion to the top flight in the 2008/09 season, the rivalry has intensified – with tomorrow’s visitors recording 35 wins in 120 league clashes.
For Martin Canning and assistant Guillaume Beuzelin, it’s their third trip to Fir Park since they took charge at Hamilton back in January 2015.
Their first visit ended with the Steelmen notching a 4-0 victory in front of a jubilant home support.
However, the next time the duo came to the home of the Steelmen, the outcome ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The club and the current management team have been involved in some hugely positive results on their own patch though, with few ‘Well supporters needing a reminder of the 5-0 loss to today’s visitors back on New Year’s day 2015.
It’s been a mixed start to the season for tomorrow’s visitors, who currently occupy ninth spot in the table.
Three goals in the final 20 minutes saw Hamilton surrender a one-goal lead to lose 3-1 away to Hearts last week.
Ali Crawford, who converted Grant Gillespie’s driven cross to give Accies a lead at Tynecastle, is perhaps Hamilton’s biggest threat to the Fir Parkers tomorrow.
The season got off to an encouraging start for Accies, with a daunting trip to Ibrox the first fixture of the season for the club.
If it weren’t for Martyn Waghorn’s strike on the hour mark, Martin Canning’s side would have left Glasgow with all three points.
A draw was a hugely positive start to the campaign though, and with a few mixed results after that, the Accies now find themselves in ninth place – level on points with the Steelmen in eighth.
The club had a busy summer window, securing a number of signings including Georgios Sarris from the Turkish leagues and Danny Seabourne from Partick Thistle.
One of the big signings was the arrival of ex-AC Milan and Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati, who penned a one-year deal with the club.
The 35-year-old has made eight appearances for the Accies so far this season, scoring in the 3-0 League Cup clash with St Mirren.
The Italian defensive-midfielder, who arrived on a free, will shore up the Hamilton midfield this season and could prove to be a shrewd signing for tomorrow’s visitors.
The club will be hoping to have another successful season and maintain their Premiership status this term.