Motherwell face a long trip north tomorrow as the Betfred Cup heads in to the knockout stages.
And with Ross County up next for the Steelmen, Stephen Robinson’s men will face a tough test tomorrow night at the Global Energy Stadium.
The ‘Well boss will be boosted by the return of Gaël Bigirimana, who missed Sunday’s league opener against Rangers.
The manager said: “Elliott Frear will probably struggle, he came off with a hamstring injury and Ben Heneghan will be assessed today. Gaël’s back in the squad and ready to go.”
Despite heading in to the league cup clash on the back of a 2-1 defeat, Robinson admitted that he has not been faced with the task of lifting his side.
“It’s not been a case of picking the boys up, they’re a very determined bunch of players with lots to prove and they see the fruits of what we’re trying to do here and they really believe in it,” he said.
“What it will be is trying to improve and, moving forward, pick up points – that we probably deserved on Sunday.”
He added: “There isn’t too much time to feel sorry for yourself, let’s be honest, so we have to get on with it and prepare properly for Ross County, and we’ll go there confident.”
[pullquote]Whether we’re playing in front of 10,000 people or 2,000 – you’ve still got to have the same motivation, energy and commitment levels.[/pullquote]
And for Fir Park stopper Trevor Carson, tomorrow night will not be an easy game against fellow top-flight opposition.
He said: “We’ve watched some videos on Ross County and they’ve done well the last few years, and I don’t think there’s any easy games when you’re playing other Premiership teams.”
The Motherwell number one added: “Whether we’re playing in front of 10,000 people or 2,000 – you’ve still got to have the same motivation, energy and commitment levels and I have absolutely no worries about that here because the dressing room we’ve got is very much together.
“We all want to achieve good things this season and we all know it’s going to come from hard work.
“We may not have the same ability as the top teams but the things the manager harps on about are the things that come for free – working hard, being professional, out-running and out-tackling teams.”
Tomorrow’s opposition Ross County will be buoyed by their victory against Dundee on Saturday in the league and will certainly be a side that Motherwell will need to work hard to beat.
However, Jim McIntyre’s men were narrowly pipped to first place in Group D of the cup by Hibernian, who clinched top spot on goal difference, and in turn lost out on a seeded spot for the draw.
The Staggies will be hopeful of having yet another successful stay in the top flight of the Scottish game, and with their 2015/16 League Cup glory fresh in the memory, another run in one of the countries premier tournaments will be at the forefront of tomorrow’s hosts.
Ross County V Motherwell | |
Wednesday 9th August 2017 | |
7.45pm | |
Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall | |
Available on the gate |
Admission prices are as follows:
ADULTS | £15 |
CONCESSIONS | £10 |
- Concessions are listed as over 65 and Under 18s
- Fans who require ambulant or wheelchair access should contact Darren on 07722 912666 or email darren@mfcdsa.com.
If you can’t make it to tomorrow, don’t miss the action by tuning in to mixlr.com/motherwellfc for live commentary or follow the match on Twitter @MotherwellFC
You can see the match highlights on MFC TV’s YouTube channel, as well as full reaction and a match report right here on the official website.