Well are better by air miles
THE Motherwell squad are already looking towards their annual January jaunt to Tenerife but Mark Gillespie is convinced the Steelmen can get set to go abroad again in the summer.
The Fir Park side sealed third spot in the Premiership for Christmas with Saturday’s gritty win at Kilmarnock.
Keeper Gillespie reckons they have staying power and if they can remain in place going into the winter break then the Europa League dream is well and truly on.
He said: “We are going back to Tenerife for the break. We came back last season and won five in a row and I think that convinced the club to do it again.
“It’s halfway there and there’s a lot of football still to be played.
“But we’ve put ourselves in a strong position. We have got to keep doing what we are doing.
“We can win different ways. Saturday was a battle but in other games we’ve played really good football. There’s more than one string to our bow and we are confident.
“We have a good squad and now there are two big games to finish off the first half of the season.”
Well have been in superb form this season – as has their keeper.
Gillespie has been one of the star turns this season and he produced another set of fine stops to secure the points at Rugby Park at the weekend.
There wasn’t much between the sides in the opening 45 minutes.
But Well stepped up the pace after the break and Jake Carroll curled in a beauty of a free-kick to nudge them in front.
And Gillespie was needed to step up as managerless Killie had a bash late on but the shot-stopper was an immovable force.
The Rugby Park side have gone four games without a goal and while Eamonn Brophy should have notched a leveller when he ballooned over the bar, it was the Well keeper’s heroics that denied him on another couple of occasions.
He said: “I’m happy. That’s my job – but it was nice to contribute with some decent stops.
“We’ve kept 12 clean sheets now and are we happy with that.
“I’m pleased personally with how I am playing. The manager sets standards.
“He said after the Rangers game recently that we set our standards looking at the top three now and not below us. That spreads throughout the group.
“To a man we have a good competitive squad and the manager demands everyone be at the top of his game – and that’s what we’ve got at the moment.”
Gillepsie’s form has kept fit-again Northern Ireland cap Trevor Carson out of the side and he admitted his glove rival spurs him on.
He said: “It does help to have an experienced keeper breathing down
On-song Carroll gives Robbo’s men a lift ahead of their festive trek to Highlands
your neck. Trevor had an unbelievable season the year before I came here. There’s no denying his quality. He got player of the year that year the team reached two cup finals.
“Circumstances meant I got my chance but him being there keeps me on my toes.
“We have a really good relationship and training is a high level.
“It’s up to me to do my best every week and so far I’m happy with how I am doing.
“I’ve got to take credit for keeping him out of the side because it’s not been easy.”
Motherwell have drawn the festive season short straw after landing a Boxing Day trek up to the Highlands to face Ross County.
The squad will train on Christmas Day before making the long haul up the A9 –and it will be dinner in Dingwall rather than turkey with the family.
But Gillespie insisted the Steelmen are willing to trade a merry Christmas for a happy New Year. And he said: “It’s part and parcel of being a footballer.
“We’ve no qualms about it because we have the break coming up after that anyway.
“There will be a fair few of our fans going up there and we are not going up to Dingwall on Boxing Day to put in a poor performance.
“We will be ready and we will be professional and we will look to get three points because we want to finish in the top three now that we are here.”