Motherwell host Kilmarnock at Fir Park tomorrow night following their vital win over Hamilton on Saturday afternoon.
And with the chance to secure Premiership survival, the Steelmen will take to the Fir Park turf on Tuesday night for one of the biggest games in the clubs recent history.
A win for the Fir Parkers could wrap up safety prior to the trip to Inverness on Saturday, depending on other results.
And following the Lanarkshire derby win, Stephen Robinson’s men will be hungry to win consecutive matches for the first time in the league this season.
The fight, desire and will-to-win individual battles is something the ‘Well boss was delighted with at the weekend, and hopes for more of the same tomorrow night.
Speaking to the broadcast press this morning, Robinson reflected on the “relief” of victory and looked ahead to tomorrow night.
He said: “Saturday was a relief more than delight because we knew how important the game was and it was a scrap and a battle, it wasn’t the prettiest game in the world.
“What is was though was three points towards our ultimate goal of staying up and we know that we need to follow that up tomorrow night.”
He added: “We just have to focus solely on us and put the same level of commitment in to the game that we did on Saturday and add a little bit of quality to that, which I believe will be different being on our home patch.”
The Fir Park gaffer will be without Richard Tait, Stephen McManus and Stephen Pearson – who are missing due to groin injuries.
Motherwell stopper Russell Griffiths is aiming to grab more clean sheets before the season ends on Saturday.
And as the keeper prepares to take on Kilmarnock tomorrow night, the on-loan Englishman reflected on Saturday’s hugely positive performance and result and spoke of his patience to break in to the starting eleven.
Speaking to the broadcast press, Russell admitted there was “sigh of relief” to secure three points ahead of tomorrow’s crunch match at Fir Park.
[pullquote]It’s been a hard six-months for me since I came up here trying to get in to the team – I’ve been patient, I’ve waited and thankfully I’ve been able to play the last couple of games.[/pullquote]
He said: “It was brilliant to play my second game for the club and to come out of the game with a clean sheet was even better – there was a big sigh of relief when the final whistle went.
“It’s been a good few weeks for me although I was disappointed we didn’t manage to get the result the week before, but overall it’s been a hard six-months for me since I came up here trying to get in to the team – I’ve been patient, I’ve waited and thankfully I’ve been able to play the last couple of games.
He added: “Sammy’s been brilliant, his advice is always valuable to me. He was there for me before the game, spoke to me after the game and then text me on Saturday night as well, so he’s been great, really professional.”
Kilmarnock may have started the season with a loss against the Steelmen and experienced some ups and downs along the way, but for the Ayrshire outfit, it has been a positive campaign all round.
When the two sides got the opening game underway back in August, Lee Clarke was in charge at Killie while Mark McGhee was at the helm of the Fir Parkers.
Now, under the stewardship of Interim boss Lee McCulloch, tonight’s visitors prepare for the fourth clash against Motherwell and their second here at Fir Park this term.
And if their recent form is to go by, Kilmarnock will be brimming with confidence as they prepare to take on the Steelmen tomorrow night.
Valuable draws against Rangers and Hearts sent tomorrow’s visitors in to the split with some comfortable distance between themselves and the relegation and play-off spots.
That was followed up by victory over Hamilton Accies in their first post-split encounter to send Killie six points clear of the Fir Parkers.
They come in to the encounter with a win under their belt against relegation strugglers Inverness and Lee McCulloch will be eager to see his side follow up that result with another big win here tomorrow as they look to secure seventh spot in the table.
However, their win on Saturday means Killie are safe from relegation and the play-offs too, marking a superb campaign for interim boss McCulloch and everyone involved with the club.
After the 2-1 victory over the Caley Jags, McCulloch reflected on a performance capped off by goals from Sean Longstaff and Jordan Jones.
The manager said: “The way we played today was outstanding. Last week I said we were not at it but today I knew that we were. There was a feeling in the dressing room, a togetherness that was brilliant.
“The last 10 minutes were a bit nervy but we got there in the end and to have finally secured survival with two games remaining, I am just delighted for everybody in the dressing room and everyone at the club. Another year, we continue to strive to get better.”
The last outing between Motherwell and tomorrow’s opponents was Killie gaffer Lee McCulloch’s third in charge and he was literally inches away from avoiding defeat that afternoon.
Kris Boyd gave the hosts the lead before Carl McHugh and Zak Jules each grabbed their first goals in Claret and Amber to drag the Steelmen from behind to win 2-1.
However, with just minutes left on the clock, Kilmarnock and their new boss were handed what looked like a lifeline in the battle for valuable points as they were awarded a penalty.
As the clock ticked down and Boyd stood over the spot kick, McCulloch watched on as his forward struck his effort off the woodwork and Stephen Robinson’s Steelmen held on for all three points.
However, all attention is on tomorrow’s match here at Fir Park, the final home fixture for the Steelmen in the league this season and Killie’s final away fixture.
