Motherwell face the hard task of an away trip to face St Johnstone in the Ladbrokes Premiership tomorrow afternoon.
However, following a hard-fought win on Wednesday night in the Betfred Cup last 16, the Fir Parkers head in to the clash with confidence at an early high.
Add in to the mix a positive performance against Rangers in the opening league match, and Stephen Robinson and his side can have a sense of optimism as they prepare to travel to take on a side with European aspirations.
It has been a positive start to the 2017/18 campaign for the ‘Well, with the 2-1 defeat against Rangers the only blemish on an otherwise perfect start to the season.
But with a run of tough fixtures just around the corner, manager Stephen Robinson is aware it’s not going to be easy for his team, who are in the middle of a six-day run with three games.
Despite the problems that may pose physically, the Fir Park boss is confident in his players ahead of tomorrow’s league encounter.
“The spirits are high,” he said. “The boys have had two days to recover and start to prepare for the St Johnstone game and our minds are now switched to trying to get three points.
“It was a long trip on Wednesday night and the game went on a lot longer than we wanted it to but the buzz you get from winning that game will out-do any kind of tiredness.”
He added: “The boys are really looking forward to Saturday, there’s a lot of confidence in the team and in the camp.
“We’ve won five games out of six since the start of the season so there’s some belief.
“When you get belief you can start to build a real team spirit and fans start to believe in what the players are doing as well so there’s a good feeling around the place at the moment.”
[pullquote]When you get belief you can start to build a real team spirit and fans start to believe in what the players are doing as well so there’s a good feeling around the place.[/pullquote]
For right-back Richard Tait, tomorrow will be another tough task – but one that he believes Motherwell are ready for.
“It will be another tough game, it always is against St Johnstone,” he said. “They’re a tough side to play against, they battle and they scrap and that’s what it will be again on Saturday.
“If we can win most of the second balls and battle harder than them then we’ll win the game.”
He added: “You approach every game wanting to win it, whether it’s a cup game or a league match.
“Not winning the first game of the season in the league adds a little bit of pressure for us to get points on the board – so we’ll be going out there on Saturday to win the match.”
If Motherwell have motivation to win a league game married with the confidence of a cup win, tomorrow’s opponents St Johnstone come in to the match on the completely opposite boat.
Having won their first league game, the Saint’s were knocked out of the Betfred Cup on Tuesday night by Partick Thistle.
But Tommy Wright’s men will be buoyed by a positive start in the league, where a 2-1 win away to Kilmarnock gave the Perthshire side an ideal start to their season.
The Saints have had a relatively quiet summer window when compared with a number of other clubs in the top flight, but it has been a positive one for Tommy Wright.
Last season’s top scorer Danny Swanson departed for Hibs but was swiftly replaced by Michael O’Halloran. Along with the likes of Stefan Scougall, Aaron Comrie and Scott Tanser – it’s been a productive window for St Johnstone.
The last time ‘Well made the trip north they came back down the road with a point. But following Wednesday night’s victory in Dingwall, there is an air of confidence, and an ever present hunger to win, ahead of tomorrow’s league encounter.
St Johnstone V Motherwell | |
Saturday 12th August 2017 | |
3.00pm | |
McDiarmid Park, Perth | |
Available on the gate |
Admission prices are as follows:
ADULTS | £23 |
CONCESSIONS | £13 |
13-18 | £12 |
UNDER 12* | FREE |
- *Free when accompanied by an adult
- Motherwell fans located in the North Stand
- 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.