Robinson call on kids to show maturity

MOTHERWELL manager Stephen Robinson has warned his young side that more maturity will be required at Ibrox on Sunday than was on show in their 3-0 home defeat by Aberdeen last weekend. Robinson admits that a few of his inexperienced players lost their way after making errors during that game and realises that it will be child’s play for Rangers unless they can bounce back from adversity like men. The Lanarkshire club boasts the youngest side in the Premiership, with a starting XI whose average age is just over 25, but Robinson insists mistakes will only be forgiven as long as they aren’t repeated. With their game against Aberdeen goalless, 19-year-old James Scott missed a penalty while 21-year-old Barry Maguire was at fault for Sam Cosgrove’s opener and Robinson realises they can’t expect such gaffes to go unpunished on Sunday. “Young James missed the penalty, which was a lesson for him,” he said. “The best players in the world are mentally strong and they cope with that. “I thought James struggled a little bit after that and Barry was the same after he got caught in possession for the first goal – but that’s the learning curve.” Then again, experience counts for nothing if it is all negative and Robinson’s young guns haven’t suffered the ignominy of regularly being routed by Rangers. In fact, should club captain Peter Hartley fail a fitness test tomorrow, then Richard Tait and Liam Grimshaw will be the only survivors from the side hammered 7-1 in Govan last season. “We don’t have many players left from that squad and certainly not too many who would be starting,” he said. “So I don’t think we go there with any kind of scars.” Ewing Grahame