Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell expects a battle against St Mirren at Fir Park this afternoon, but says they go into the Premiership clash on a run of form.
The Lanarkshire side are sixth in the Premiership, and in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals against Rangers next month, on a run of four wins in five games.
Motherwell dropped points as they lost 2-1 to high-flying Aberdeen at Pittodrie on September 14, but cup wins over Kilmarnock and Dundee United have earned them a date at Hampden against Philippe Clement’s side on November 3.
League wins have been notched against Hearts and St Johnstone in that period, as they look ahead to the visit of the Paisley side today.
Kettlewell said: “I didn’t bother too much with the [Premier Sports Cup semi-final] draw on Sunday, because it’s always going to be what it will be.
“My focus from Saturday morning was getting out to watch St Mirren against Hearts (2-1 Saints win), and really starting to focus on the league campaign again.
“I think we owe it to ourselves and everybody else that supports us and backs us to get straight on the horse again to make sure we’re ready for the league campaign.
“I think if you look at all our games against St Mirren last year – I know there’s a lot of different players on both sides, but the games were incredibly close, only separated by a goal. On a head-to-head basis it was very close between the teams.
“There were one or two games that we didn’t pick up maximum points from, that we would make a case for being the better team, and there were games where St Mirren would make that case.
“I think it just points in the direction of it being very close.
“I watched them last weekend, I’ve watched them a few times this season.
“They’re a big, physical unit, they’re athletic, dynamic, and carry really good quality in their side, with pace in behind.
“Toyosi Olusanya has started the season well with his goal-scoring, his pace to get in behind.
“They have players that can play, they’ve got a wee blend of everything, so I think it’s about us being as well-rounded as we possibly can be, to make sure we can try and get the result that we want.”
Kettlewell has been pleased with his side, though he’s always looking for improvement.
He said: “I think we’ve started the league campaign OK. I would obviously like another couple of points on there and we want to try and find our next win as soon as we possibly can.
“There are bits that I will always look for perfection from, but there hasn’t been a lot that has disappointed me in there.”
Kettlewell was delighted with the response from the Motherwell community to their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final clash against Dundee United, which they won 2-1 on Friday, and hopes some of those fans will return today.
A bumper crowd of 8327 packed inside Fir Park, featuring more than 6000 home fans, was the biggest in 13 years.
And Kettlewell said: “We had a rallying call for the town to come out and support their team, and the fans 100 per cent got behind us. I thought it was absolutely brilliant.
“I think it’s the best attended game that we’ve had here at Fir Park in 13 years, outwith an Old Firm game, which tells you a story in itself.
“It gives us an opportunity for something to build on. I spoke so much about us being a community club, about that feel-good factor, and trying to keep it here.
“We might not get everybody back in, there were round about 6000 Motherwell fans that were in here, but I would love for us to get close to that on Saturday, try and keep that, and for it to be something that we generate throughout the course of the season.”
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