SAMSON STEELED FOR TILT AT GLORY

THE fact nine different clubs have got their hands on the past 10 major cup competitions in Scotland is a source of both frustration and inspiration for Motherwell. With the Old Firm, to varying degrees, weakened and unfocused, unlikely names such as Kilmarnock, St Mirren, Ross County and Hibs have been engraved on the most coveted silverware in the land. Some 25 years after the Steelmen last troubled the winners’ podium, Motherwell goalkeeper Craig Samson feels it’s time his club got back in on the act. ‘There has been a good spread of trophies the past few years which has been great for Scottish football,’ said 32-year-old Samson. ‘So many of the so-called smaller clubs have won major trophies. It was brilliant to watch Ross County and Inverness do it as well. ‘It would be fantastic for this town if we could win another trophy. When I was at St Mirren we won it and it was fantastic — something they hadn’t done for years. ‘It brought the club and the town together. It would certainly do the same for Motherwell. ‘Hibs winning the Scottish Cup from the Championship last year showed anything is possible. We’ve first got to try to get through the group stages by winning the next three games and see where that takes us. ‘Winning it is certainly our aim. We’re not in it to treat these games like pre-season matches.’ Despite starting much the better side, Mark McGhee’s men lost their opening group game at home to Rangers last weekend. With only four of the eight secondplaced teams set to progress to the knock-out stages of the Betfred Cup, Samson believes there’s no margin for error from three games in a week that starts today at Annan. ‘We play Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday and we need to win these games now,’ he added, ahead of a sequence that also encompasses East Stirling and Stranraer. After a year of playing second fiddle to Connor Ripley, Samson appears to be the man in possession at the outset of McGhee’s first full season in charge — second time around. However, the arrival of former Inverness keeper Dean Brill, two years his junior, has banished any thought from the Scot’s head that he’s in a comfort zone. ‘Connor’s moved on. Hopefully, I can come into the team and do well. We’ve brought in Dean, who’s a good, experienced goalkeeper. If I’ve got the jersey, it’s down to me to keep it by playing well.’