The Steelmen travel north to take on Ross County tomorrow in the fifth Ladbrokes Premiership fixture of the season.
For manager Mark McGhee and his side, the long journey and tough opponents will not make for an easy task, as the Staggies currently sit fourth in the league after recording two wins and two losses from their opening four games.
Ross County boss Jim McIntyre will be hoping to see his side bounce back after slipping to a 1-0 loss against Hamilton Accies two weeks ago.
With the international break offering both sides a small break from competitive football, the two squads will come in to this weekend’s fixture somewhat replenished.
The ‘Well will be boosted by the much-anticipated return of Louis Moult, as well as Stevie Hammell’s return to full fitness, after the full-back sat on the bench against Dundee.
Travelling ‘Well fans will also be given a first look at new signings Ryan Bowman and Luka Belić, after the pair completed deadline day moves to the club.
Carl McHugh, who is still battling concussion after his knock at Kilmarnock, will still be unavailable for Mark McGhee.
Fellow summer signing Jacob Blyth is still on the road to recovery, as is Kieran Kennedy after the defender suffered a number of weeks out with an illness.
Over past seasons, the two clubs have met on 15 occasions, with the ‘Well holding the upper-hand with seven victories and four draws to the Staggies four wins.
And as many clubs have discovered in recent seasons, Dingwall is never an easy trip.
The last time Mark McGhee’s men made the trip seven-hour round trip, they left 3-1 victors.
But the fixture prior to that at the Global Energy Stadium told a different story as the hosts beat the ‘Well 3-0.
Saturday’s fixture comes at a time when both clubs are looking to bounce back to winning ways, and with a couple of new faces in the squad and a few players returning to fitness – Motherwell go in to the match looking as close to full strength as they have all season.
Deadline day signing Ryan Bowman admits he “can’t wait to get started” ahead of Saturday’s trip to face Ross County.
The Englishman, who completed his move from Gateshead last week, has enjoyed his first few days of training under Mark McGhee and can already see the jump in standards at Motherwell.
The forward said: “It’s been a really good week, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.
“The boys look in good shape, nice and sharp and with a high intensity in preparation for Saturday so I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”
[pullquote]The boys look in good shape, nice and sharp and with a high intensity in preparation for Saturday so I’ve really enjoyed it so far.[/pullquote]
He added: “No disrespect to Gateshead but it is a better standard, the expectations are higher and I’m really looking forward to Saturday and can’t wait to get started.”
Enjoying a number of seasons south of the border, the 24-year-old hopes to carry on his goal-scoring form in to his career in the top flight of Scottish football – starting tomorrow.
He said: “My highest level was League Two but it didn’t work out there like it did in the Conference where I scored 19-20 goals a season, so I hope I can continue that on in to this season and see where it takes us.”
Bowman won’t feel out of place among his new team-mates, with last season’s top scorer Louis Moult a familiar face for the deadline day signing.
[pullquote]I played against Louis Moult when he was at Wrexham in the FA trophy one season and then twice in the league too, and he shone above the rest.[/pullquote]
He said: “I played against Louis Moult when he was at Wrexham in the FA trophy one season and then twice in the league too, and he shone above the rest and you could tell he was that bit better than the rest.
He added: “He got his move and he did well here last season so I hope I can do the same.”
With a long trip north to Dingwall awaiting Ryan this Saturday, the striker insisted he isn’t phased by the trip.
He said: “The travelling is easy – with Gateshead every away game was an overnight stay away, about 5 or 6 hours travelling, so I’m used to that, it’s fine.”
Ross County have enjoyed a solid start to the 2016/17 season, after winning two of their opening four games.
After securing a top six finish last season, Jim McIntyre and his side will be hopeful of a similarly successful campaign this time round.
It was a big summer for the Staggies after a brilliant season, which was highlighted by their League Cup triumph against Hibs at Hampden back in March.
Almost inevitably, star midfielder Jackson Irvine was snapped up by Championship side Burton Albion early in the window after impressing greatly for Ross County during his two-season stint with the Northerners.
The Aussie has got off to a flyer south of the border, scoring three goals in four appearances.
Tim Chow was signed by Jim McIntyre and will likely fill the void left by Irvine, but, having arrived late in the window, the Englishman has only made one appearance and is struggling for match fitness.
Right-back Erik Cikos signed on a free after the Slovakian spent six months at the club back in 2014, when he arrived on loan from Slovan Bratislava.
But the main threat for the Steelmen isn’t any of the new signings, but Northern Irish striker Liam Boyce.
Ross County have scored six goals in the league this season, and Boyce has scored five of them – he also provided the assist for the solitary goal he wasn’t responsible for putting in the back of the net.
At just 25-years of age, keeping hold of Boyce was a shrewd bit of business from the Staggies over the summer, after the forward scored 15 goals and provided 7 assists in the Premiership last season.
If he keeps going ay this rate, he’ll have improved on that tally before Christmas, making him the obvious threat to the Steelmen on Saturday.