Liam’s up Fir being a regular now home
LIAM KELLY insists he’ll have no qualms about making Motherwell his permanent home if QPR tell him he’s surplus to requirements.
The 25-year-old was immense in a win over Livingston that carried Well 10 points clear of the foot of the table.
Kelly arrived at Fir Park in January, having found himself out of favour under Mark Warburton at the Championship club.
And the Scotland squad keeper is adamant a loan spell in Lanarkshire could be extended beyond this summer after playing every minute since signing.
He said: “All I know is I want to be playing, I love it here at Motherwell.
“It’s something I wouldn’t say no to. I’ve still got twoand-a-half years left, so the power is not in my hands but I’ll be pushing to play.
“The No.1 at QPR is doing really well just now, so it may be difficult. But things can change in football.
“I’m still in contact with goalie coaches and other staff down there. I’m their player but I’m loving my time at Motherwell. “Don’t get me wrong, first and foremost I’m a QPR player and I need to respect that. Whatever they say will probably go. “But if I’m not going to be playing at QPR, I’ll try to go somewhere and wouldn’t say no to Motherwell. “I like that family feel. I’m from Renfrew, so this is home for me.”
JAMIE McGRATH enjoyed the “buzz” created by partying Rangers fans after months of behindclosed-doors matches.
St Mirren had a police escort to Ibrox as Light Blues supporters lined the streets outside the stadium, with Steven Gerrard’s side dishing out a thrashing before being crowned champs yesterday.
Irishman McGrath insists the frenzied build-up didn’t get in Saints’ players’ heads, insisting Gers were simply the better side as the Paisley men were swept aside.
The midfielder said: “It gave me a bit of a buzz seeing all the fans lining the streets on the way to the stadium.
“I haven’t seen any fans for nearly a year, so it was actually nice to see supporters again. It got the adrenalin going.
“It didn’t have any sort of psychological effect on us at all. They’ve only conceded a couple of goals at home all season. It was a tough shift, for sure.
“We put a lot of effort into trying to stop them but they were in complete control. Their form is so strong, especially at home.
“We started quite well but once they got a couple of goals ahead, it was always going to be a huge mountain to climb. These aren’t the games that will define our season though.”
St Mirren now know they need to pick up a win over Hamilton in their final game before the split to guarantee a historic top-six finish.
They may secure it with a loss should St Johnstone not pick up all three points against Ross County.
But McGrath added: “I’d definitely rather be in our position trying to hold on to sixth spot. The pressure is on the guys chasing us to get a result.
“We’ll go in looking to win – we don’t want to be relying on other results going our way.”