Stuart Kettlewell speaks to the press prior to our return to competitive action against St. Mirren.
The Steelmen will refocus their attention back to league action this weekend following a short international break, as Motherwell look to preserve their unbeaten start to the 2023/24 campaign, with Manager Stuart Kettlewell keen to avoid complacency after a positive start.
“We’re always going to strive for more, we’re always going to think that we can do more”, said Kettlewell.
“We’ve had a good start that’s all it is. We’ve gave ourselves a decent platform, started the season relatively well and we now come into a real tough string of games.
“The one thing I know is that if we can keep applying ourselves and keep performing to the levels that we have done, we give ourselves a chance.”
Whilst the squad continue to make strides on the pitch, recent injury woes have continued to hamper the options at their disposal, but Kettlewell is hopeful to have more back to fitness in the coming weeks.
“We’ve not had our challenges to seek in terms of injuries”, Kettlewell explained.
“I think a lot of the long-term ones; John Obika, Mika Biereth, Connor Wilkinson, Pape Souaré, we know where they are, but unfortunately we had a few to add to that over the last week and a half.
“Blair Spittal, Liam Kelly, Shane Blaney, so again probably another three to add into the mix, but for those guys, they are edging closer towards fitness but again they remain doubts for the game unfortunately.
“It’s just a case of whether we can get enough work into them, get them on the park and see whether they are available for Saturday, but as it stands just now with all three, there’s absolutely no certainty on that.”
Goalkeeper, Liam Kelly has maintained an impeccable level of fitness in recent seasons, playing in 112 consecutive games, but a recent knock forced the Scotland international out of their recent Euro 2024 Qualifying campaign.
“He had a problem with his back, but he had to pull out of the squad”, Kettlewell announced.
“I think that anyone who knows Liam understand his professionalism and his will to play. He has been working away tirelessly since he left the Scotland camp, been through a few appointments and a couple of procedures, and it is just a case of how that settles over the next day or two.
“We’ll find that out, but he’s done a lot of travelling to make sure he’s seen the best people to put him in place to try and have a chance to play in the game, but I can’t confirm that at this minute in time unfortunately.”
One further squad departure in Joe Efford has limited Kettlewell’s attacking options, but insists that it has been a financially beneficial step for the club.
“There’s a couple of factors in the Joe Efford situation, it had been stop starts in my time coming in. Joe had a bad injury in his quad before I’d came in and was fighting his way back to fitness.
“Joe’s never been a problem with me and I need go on record in saying that, but I think sometimes in football you need a fresh challenge, you need a fresh start and that’s how I see it.
“My voice isn’t going to resonate with absolutely everybody. My message, my methods isn’t going to measure up with everybody. He’s been a kind of model professional in terms of how he goes about his business here, but sometimes you almost have to hold your hands up and say that there needs to be a fresh start and there needs to be a bit of change.
“Managers don’t get a lot of credit for it, but it’s the financial side it as well. Joe was one of the top-earners at the football club and I’m immensely proud with the work that’s been done over the summer in conjunction with the board, the chief executive, head of recruitment, myself and other members of staff at the football club, that will have managed to really kind of trim things down.”
