Motherwell host St Johnstone in the Ladbrokes Premiership tomorrow afternoon in the 29th game of the 2016/17 campaign.
It is also Stephen Robinson’s first match in charge and, with just five games until the split, comes with added importance for the Fir Parkers.
In his spell as caretaker boss, Robinson led the Steelmen to a crucial three points away to Kilmarnock before being dealt a very difficult loss away to Aberdeen – when a last minute goal from Niall McGinn nicked all three points for the Dons.
Now the Northern Irishman has the job permanently, it is an extremely important spell coming up for the club – starting today.
But for Robinson, nothing changes as the 42-year-old sets his sights on maintaining the form that has seen the Steelmen become resilient and tighter at the back.
The new Fir Park gaffer said: “First and foremost the criteria set out is to stay in this division.
“When I took over we found ourselves conceding a lot of goals and in the short term we’ve stopped that.”
He added: “That’s only the start of the process – we have to continue with the performances we’ve had in the last two games and start to pick up results very quickly.”
Motherwell will be without Stephen McManus, Kieran Kennedy and Richard Tait through injury, whilst Ben Heneghan is suspended.
[pullquote]The way I see it is staying undefeated against Kilmarnock could spark the start of a run –hopefully now we can go on and stay unbeaten.[/pullquote]
The return of Louis Moult from suspension is a huge boost for the club though – who welcome back the top scorer for what is a crucial encounter at Fir Park.
Chris Kane and Keith Watson are both out of action for the Saints through knee injuries, whilst Steven Anderson and David Wotherspoon are doubts for Tommy Wright’s side.
Don’t miss a moment tomorrow afternoon, starting with live build up on Motherwell FC’s Official Facebook page at 2:15pm.
You can listen to live commentary of tomorrow’s clash from 2:50pm on mixlr.com/MotherwellFC as well as follow all the action on Twitter @MotherwellFC
All that is followed by an in-depth match report and a selection of images from the game, as well as MFC TV’s post match reaction and highlights from Fir Park.
Midfielder Stephen Pearson is confident that Stephen Robinson is the right man for the job as the new manager takes charge of his first game tomorrow.
And since he stepped in as caretaker, Pearson admitted that Robinson has managed to bring about an improvement in performances.
The January signing looked ahead to tomorrow’s clash with the Saints and admitted that everyone around the club is “delighted” to have the Northern Irishman in charge.
Pearson said: “I think everyone is delighted and the last couple of weeks has shown that with a real improvement in the performances.
“He’s somebody that the majority of the players know well so I think it’s a good appointment from the club.”
[pullquote]He’s somebody that the majority of the players know well so I think it’s a good appointment from the club.[/pullquote]
He added: “He’s tactically very good, he’s got a good knowledge of the game and he’s good on the training ground.
“He’s bubbly, he’s bright and he’s a good character to have around the place.
“He’s demanding of the players which I think is crucial and I think he’ll be able to get the best out of the group of players that we’ve got.”
As one of the experienced members of Robinson’s squad, Pearson revealed his optimism ahead of tomorrow’s match, admitting it isn’t all just about safety.
He said: “Top six is still attainable but obviously the most immediate thought in our mind is to get away from the relegation spots.
“We know it’s very tight down there and a couple of wins back to back can see you jump two or three places, so that’s what we’re looking for right now.”
After a solid 2015/16 season, St Johnstone have enjoyed a similar campaign so far this term and will be full of confidence ahead of tomorrow’s clash.
Consecutive league defeats were brushed aside when Tommy Wright’s team bounced back to winning ways with a 2-0 win against Dundee last weekend.
The Saints breezed past their Tayside rivals thanks to a Paul Paton header in the 12th-minute and Blair Alston’s neat finish seven minutes later.
With three defeats in their last three home games, the hosts may have been full of nerves prior to kick-off last weekend but Tommy Wright clearly had his players fired-up for the task – all but wrapping up the points inside 20 minutes.
Scott Bain perhaps should have kept out Alston’s 22-yard drive, but the scoreline was no less than the Saints deserved.
It closed the gap on fourth placed Hearts to just one point and will have given the Perthshire outfit a boost ahead of today’s match.
And with a clash against the side from the Capital coming up soon for St Johnstone, the squad will not be without incentive as they arrive at Fir Park tomorrow afternoon – looking to aim for a third straight fourth placed finish in the top flight.
Tomorrow marks the third meeting between the two clubs this season following the 2-1 Saints win at Fir Park back in August and the 1-1 draw at McDiarmid Park in mid-December.
The Saints have recorded impressive victories over Hearts this season and picked up important points against Aberdeen too.
But in recent weeks, a slump in form has seen the fifth placed club lose four of their last six fixtures – including a fifth round Scottish Cup loss against Partick Thistle.
As the season heads in to it’s crucial stages, Tommy Wright will be hoping that his side can remain positive following last weekends win over Dundee.
After the match, the Northern Irishman admitted that he was pleased with the chances his side created.
He said: “The tempo we played at from the first whistle to the last was excellent and that was with or without the ball. We created a lot of opportunities.
“Dundee may have had more possession but in the shot count and crosses we were way ahead in terms of creating more chances.”
With the Saints hungry for a fourth placed finish this term and the Steelmen eager to keep their momentum going with a big three points today – this afternoon’s clash makes for an interesting encounter in the Ladbrokes Premiership.
