Liam Gordon reckons Motherwell are more than capable of taking points from a hectic festive period that sees them tackle Celtic, Rangers and Hearts in eight days.
The Steelmen travel to Celtic Park on Boxing Day, welcome Rangers on December 29, and head to Tynecastle on January 2 to take on Hearts.
Gordon says his side shouldn’t be daunted by that schedule, and can go into the sequence with confidence.
He said: “We’ve got a tough run but one we can go and get points from. Obviously the Old Firm gets looked at, we’ve had two really close games with Rangers so far this season.
“Celtic, we held our own for long enough here. And the Aberdeen game up there as well, we were very unlucky not to come away with a point – their keeper made some unbelievable saves.
“Obviously Hearts, we’ve already got a victory.
“These are games we are more than capable of going and taking something from.”
Gordon was delighted to bag his first Motherwell goal in the 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock on Friday night, but admits they didn’t do enough to merit the win.
He said: “It was a great slide tackle into the net! Listen, I’ll take any goal I can get.
“I was delighted to give us the lead in the game. Just unfortunate it wasn’t a winning goal in the end.
“Very happy on a personal level to get off the mark here. You make sure you’re still alive in the box.
“We are such a threat at set pieces between a good few of us, and Dan Casey always seems to do really well in them.
“I could just see when the ball was going to him at the back post that I need to keep on the move and hopefully it falls to you.
“Normally it doesn’t but this time it did and I was delighted.
“Obviously any point on the board is good but, if I’m honest, we didn’t do enough to get the three points.
“Obviously a lot of good character showed. At times, I think the quality was lacking.”
Like many inside Fir Park, Gordon didn’t think Casey should have been sent off for an altercation with Kilmarnock’s Danny Armstrong.
He said: “Listen, it’s just becoming a laughing stock now.
“Recently we’ve been on the end of a lot of decisions. This one kind of summed it up perfectly. It’s never a red card.
“Dan is simply defending himself. Armstrong initiates the contact first. He just defends himself, his hand starts there and he just pushes him away.
“The most concerning thing is that he [referee] gets sent to the monitor and you’re thinking ‘that’s fine, it will get rescinded’.
“And he sticks with the decision. I’m a little bit confused and I feel it’s a sorry state that’s the way the game is going.
“But we will move on from it, Dan will pick himself up. We’ve got his back, we will rally round him.”
Gordon concedes that VAR and recent decisions have changed the way defenders react in side the box.
He said: “You are going into games now with a different approach. In and around the box for sure with so many penalties being given.
“But even just in general play. The longer it goes on it certainly is something that impacts your game.
“We just had to endure it in the second half. That’s why you’re a defender; you’ve got to embrace moments like those.
“It got difficult and when we went down to 10 it makes it that bit harder.
“But when I look across the pitch and see all the boys next to me,I know these are guys who are willing to go to war with you.
“It was a challenge but one that I knew we could get over the line.”