Motherwell host Inverness Caley Thistle tomorrow night as the two sides look to bounce back to winning ways after suffering defeats against Celtic and Rangers respectively.
For ‘Well boss Mark McGhee, it is about turning good performances in to results as his side face an important double-header against the leagues highlanders.
So far, the Fir Park gaffer feels like it has been a stop-start season due to a number of breaks for international football and the League Cup, so with a number of games over the next few weeks, McGhee is hoping his side can find their rhythm.
Speaking to the press earlier today, the manager said: “It’s been a crazy season really and we’ve got another break in a couple of weeks for the international team, but it does seem stop-start, stop-start this season and then we have the winter break to come as well.
“What we do have though is three games against teams in our region of the league where we’ll be hoping to take some points.
“Then of course we have a break after that and then it’s a case of seven games in December so these are three games we could well be doing with taking points from.”
He added: “The breaks seem to be coming around quicker and are more pronounced than they were last season, and I know that it’s not different but we just have to be careful with the players.
“It seems like they’re getting a lot more down time this season so we have to be sure we’re keeping everyone fully fit and sharp.”
While the breaks have disrupted rhythm, they’ve also allowed for players to recover from injury.
McGhee said: “In between times we’ve had injuries to Louis Moult, Stevie Hammell and Joe Chalmers, so we’ve managed to benefit from the fact that we’ve not had to play those games.
“If the Aberdeen game was on we would’ve went in to that with a few missing so we have to accentuate the positives. While it has been stuttered hopefully that means we’ll go in to these important games with our strongest team.”
Tomorrow night’s match will be an important fixture for both sides, as the Fir Parkers sit just one point behind Richie Foran’s Inverness.
The Caley Jags are now without a win in October, with their last three points at home to Dundee at the end of September.
The Steelmen find themselves in a similar position, hungry to return to winning ways since their last victory against Hamilton back in September too.
Mark McGhee knows it will be a tough match, and said: “When you look at the table and see where we are I like to think we’re a little bit better than that and I think that Inverness will think the same.
“When you look at their team, they’re a robust team with a good physical presence and they’re going to be a tough team for anyone to break down, but they’ve not quite yet fired on all cylinders, so we’ve just got to guard against that and assume that they can come here and find their form.”
Since making the switch from Grimsby Town back in June, Richard Tait has been a tremendously consistent performer in the Motherwell starting eleven.
Equally adept as an attacking full-back as well as an important cog defensively, the right-back is an important player for Mark McGhee tomorrow night as his side search for an all-important win.
An obvious team player, Tait is aware that the whole squad shares his desire to get back to action following the League Cup break at the weekend.
The Steelmen go in to tomorrow night’s match against Inverness CT looking to bounce back from the 2-0 loss away to Celtic ten days ago.
Speaking to the press this morning, the right-back said: “It’s been a bit of a wait for this one so I’m really looking forward to getting back on the pitch and playing.
“When you miss a Saturday and there’s other teams playing you feel like you’re missing out, so the boys are raring to go for tomorrow night and we’re all just looking forward to getting back on the pitch.”
With the extra days off, Motherwell boss Mark McGhee has ensured his side keep their preparations on track, something Tait feels will get their bodies in shape for a vital run of games.
He said: “We’ve done a little bit more running and then had a few days to recover and try and refresh our bodies to get ready again.
“We’ve got three important games coming up so the little break and the little rest will have done our bodies good.”
[pullquote]Every week is a tough game and there’s always a tough battle against a winger or a team in general, but looking forward I’m looking forward to the future here at Motherwell.[/pullquote]
On the Celtic loss, the 26-year-old said: “It was a disappointing result getting beat but we can’t do anything about the break that came after it.
“Yes, it would have been nice to get back in to another game and get a positive result straight away but we have a chance to put that right tomorrow night now.”
Inverness come in to the match on the back of a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock, at the weekend, meaning that Richie Foran’s side are now without a win in three matches.
And Tait knows that they will be hard opponents.
“Inverness have played one more game than us and they’re a point ahead so they’re doing ok,” the defender said, “they’re a strong, physical team so it will be a tough game tomorrow.”
He added: “Every week is a tough game and there’s always a tough battle against a winger or a team in general, but looking forward I’m looking forward to the future here at Motherwell.”
Inverness Caley Thistle currently sit level on points with the Fir Parkers and will be hungry to return to winning ways tomorrow night.
After the departure of John Hughes, Richie Foran took over in May this year, signing a four-year contract.
It will be a welcome return for the manager to Lanarkshire, after Foran spent three seasons in Claret and Amber, making 90 appearances and scoring 23 goals.
His side arrive on the back of a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock and are now without a win in three games.
Foran got off to a good start in his new role at the helm of the Caley Jags, securing some important signings over the summer.
Billy King arrived on a season-long loan deal from Hearts, Kevin McNaughton came in from Wigan, Jake Mulraney arrived from QPR and Scott Boden signed from Newport County.
And it all looked good for Caley Thistle, as Foran managed to get off to a winning start at the helm with a 2-1 away win to Cowdenbeath in the League Cup. In their group, Inverness drew with Dundee United at home and lost the bonus point penalty shoot-out, but things turned around as they won 5-1 away against Dunfermline and then registered a 7-0 thrashing of Arbroath to end July on a positive note.
In August, the Inverness boss lost his first league game in charge in the shape of a 2-0 away loss to Partick Thistle.
Things didn’t get better for the club as that result was followed by a shock 1-0 away loss to Alloa, knocking Caley out of the League Cup.
Foran then lost his first Highland derby as a manager when his side slumped to a a 3-2 home defeat to Ross County.
Things went from bad to worse when a trip to Tynecastle ended in a 5-1 defeat to Hearts.
During the International break, Foran signed Lonsana Doumbouya who had just ended his contract with Cercle Brugge in Belgium. He then signed two players on transfer deadline day in the shape of Brad McKay who had just been released by St Johnstone and Larnell Cole on a loan deal from Fulham until January.
And the break sparked Foran’s side into life as they managed their first win of the season in early September with a hard-fought 2-1 home win against St Johnstone thanks to a late goal from Josh Meekings who scrambled the ball over the line from a corner to seal the three points.
The next weekend the North derby away at Aberdeen ended in a 1-1 draw. Ex-Well midfielder Iain Vigurs scored a great strike from 25-yards to level the score-line.
Foran also managed to record another impressive result, a 2-2 draw with Scottish Champions Celtic, being the first team to take points away from Brendan Rodgers side in the league this season.
But as the season surges on, the northerners will be hoping to become more resolute defensively, having already shipped 17 goals in the league this term.
Midfielder Ross Draper has been the Caley Jags biggest outlet of goals so far, with three goals and two assists in nine starts.
Over the course of the last few seasons, matches have been tough to call between tomorrow’s visitors and the Steelmen, making for an intriguing fixture under the Fir Park floodlights tomorrow night.