We are punching above our weight... just like my first love Burnley
MOTHERWELL’S relentless charge up the Ladbrokes Premiership table this season has only strengthened Liam Grimshaw’s belief that he is at the right club at the right time in his career.
But the full-back has revealed that there is another reason he has fallen in love with Fir Park — the ground, the team and the town all remind him of his beloved Burnley.
Grimshaw grew up there and his passion for the game was nurtured by regular visits to Turf Moor.
Now, after swapping Lancashire for Lanarkshire, he is convinced that Stephen Robinson’s team are almost a mirror image of the Sean Dyche side who have over-achieved by reaching the English Premier League and staying there.
Like the Clarets, Motherwell have been punching above their weight, too.
After 21 fixtures, the Steelmen are third in the Premiership — one point ahead of Aberdeen — and are aiming to stretch their lead over the Dons by beating them at Pittodrie tonight.
Grimshaw agreed this week to extend his stay until 2022 and the 24-year-old — who began his career as a teenager with Manchester United — admits he has never been happier.
‘I was buzzing to sign the new contract and it was an easy decision for me,’ he said. ‘I’m settled here, the team is doing well and the club is moving forward.
‘Happiness means a lot in football, as you’ll then come into work with a smile on your face. Since I’ve been at Motherwell, there have been great strides on and off the pitch.
‘As a player, I am trying to improve and getting a regular game here has been a real factor in doing that. You always want to get better and the only way to do that is by playing every week.
‘I have a lot of time for Motherwell as a club and I see a lot of similarities with my own team, Burnley. The two clubs are really alike and so are the towns; they’re both working-class areas. People work hard and like to watch the football at the weekend and, if fans see people who give 100 per cent, they can forgive a lot of things.
‘They want to see commitment on the pitch. I try to do that and, if I can add a bit of quality, the fans will be happy. We’re having a really good season and there’s a great work ethic and togetherness at the club.
‘We could even finish higher than Man United do in the Premier League this season — but we need to take it one game at a time. If we can reproduce our form from before the winter break, we’ll have a chance of finishing up there.’
Given that fifth-placed Livingston are 12 points behind Motherwell, Derek McInnes’ Dons are the Steelmen’s only real rivals for third spot. Grimshaw is well aware of how vital tonight’s result could prove come the end of the season.
‘Pittodrie is always a tough place to go, but we’ve had some good results up there in the past,’ said the Englishman, who initially joined Motherwell on loan from Old Trafford in 2015 before a permanent move to Preston North End preceded his return to Fir Park in August 2017.
‘In terms of budget, Aberdeen are the third biggest force in Scotland, so to get a win or draw would be great.
‘If we did finish third, it would be a fantastic achievement for the club. We have been seventh and eighth in the last two seasons so we’d take any improvement on that, really. However, looking at the position we’re in just now, we hope to be up in third or fourth at the end.
‘European football would also be massive for us. It would be great for the players to have that experience but there’s a long way to go yet.’
Boss Robinson, meanwhile, claims his team’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Dundee in last Saturday night’s televised Scottish Cup tie at Dens Park proves they have the character to thrive under pressure.
‘The TV cameras are always looking for a shock in the cups and that was our team-talk to the boys before the kick-off; don’t be the side everyone is talking about,’ said the Northern Irishman. ‘We won it convincingly in the end, though.
‘Dundee have more experience than us but I think we showed how far we’ve come. We did a good, professional job on them and we can go to Pittodrie with a lot of confidence.
‘Our record in the last year has been very good but Derek (McInnes) has been doing it for a lot longer than that. He’s consistently had to change his style due to the players available to him and he’s done a terrific job. As much as I admire him, though, I’ll be out to beat him.’
McInnes would love a repeat of last October’s performance when, despite being denied the services of seven senior players, his team beat Motherwell 3-0 at Fir Park.
‘It’s ironic that was one of our best performances of the season because we had no recognised midfielders available,’ recalled the Aberdeen boss.
‘We had two full-backs playing in the middle of the park, with six defenders in total on the pitch.
‘Despite that, we created as many chances as we’ve ever done in a game and scored three really good goals.’
Lewis Ferguson goes back into the Dons’ starting line-up after a one-match suspension while teenage midfielder Mark Gallagher is available after completing his move from Ross County.