WELL TARGET O’HARA SWOOP
KILLIE v MOTHERWELL Moult cash funds bid for Dens star KILLIE SPIRIT DOWN TO BOSS
MOTHERWELL are weighing up a swoop for Dundee midfielder Mark O’Hara on a precontract agreement.
The Fir Park club are banking cash from the £500,000 sale of top scorer Louis Moult to Preston.
And Well boss Stephen Robinson has targeted the Dark Blues’ Scotland Under-21 star, who is out of contract in the summer.
Dens manager Neil McCann will fight to hold on to the 22-year-old who was brought in from Kilmarnock by previous boss Paul Hartley.
One-time defender O’Hara, who made his Rugby Park debut at 16 before moving on last year, has been converted to an attacking midfield role with Dundee.
And he has caught the eye recently with a double against Rangers and a goal at Ross County.
Robinson believes Moult’s success in the Premiership can encourage other targets to move to Fir Park.
Ahead of today’s trip to Kilmarnock, the Well gaffer said: “We’ll have to replace him on a free transfer I would imagine.
“I have spent 10 grand on the whole squad and that was Trevor Carson so I can’t imagine we will be buying anyone for huge money. We’ll have to scour the Conference and League Two and the lower leagues in Scotland. It’s a hard task but it’s one we were aware would happen.
“We’ve spoken to numerous people.
“Motherwell isn’t everyone’s first choice, Scottish football isn’t everyone’s first choice, out of ignorance more than what’s actually happening here. But we’ve got targets, and are actively speaking to people.
“We’re well down the line with a couple of things that hopefully we can get done.
“Louis Moult, Ben Heneghan and Marvin Johnson are brilliant examples of what we do and the model we have.
“We bring them up for free transfers, give them game time and put them in a shop window and they better themselves, both financially and at a really good level.
“Unfortunately there is an ignorance. I spoke to one guy and his wage demands were absolutely ridiculous. Sometimes SCOTT BOYD has been mostly a spectator while Steve Clarke has gradually built the confidence of his Kilmarnock mates with steady progress.
But that didn’t mean the feelgood factor didn’t reach him in the physios room while he recovered from the ankle problem that plagued his year.
So when his comeback against Ross County in midweek threatened to turn into a nightmare – conceding two goals within 12 minutes of his introduction – he didn’t panic. Because like the rest of they choose money over where they can develop their career.
“If any young player wants to develop their career this is a great platform and a great club to do it.”
Moult is sidelined by a hamstring injury and Robinson is “very doubtful” the striker will play again before his move south.
He said: “Louis is a hard act to follow but we have four other strikers and it’s up to them to step up to the plate. They’ve been in his shadow if truth be told.
“We set them a challenge and both Ryan Bowman and Craig Tanner scored the other night. So far they’ve stepped up to the plate.”
Motherwell have lost to Hearts and Partick Thistle since their three-game series with Celtic.
But Robinson said: “If you rule out the individual errors there’s a lot of positives in our play.
“You need to take them out of matches and we’re not far away.”
EUAN McLEAN
the Rugby Park dressing room, he believes in himself, his teammates and their ability to graft their way out of any situation.
And they did, fighting back to snatch a hard-earned draw.
Boyd said: “Tuesday shows the confidence the manager has given us. Not many teams would have the character to come back like we did.
“Most people would have thought the game was dead and buried at half-time but he stressed that we had to keep going and that a goal would turn it round – and that’s what happened.
“That has happened regularly since he has arrived. He fills us with confidence, stressing the quality we have in the changing room so that when we go on to the pitch we believe in ourselves.
“The gaffer has placed demands on us and we’re responding. It’s a combination of hard work and togetherness.
“He insists on 100 per cent effort from everyone every single day. And that has stood us in good stead.”