DONS ARE OUR FOCUS Robinson won’t let cup final distract Well in the league
Betfred Cup final fever has gripped Motherwell fans — but Stephen Robinson insists the focus is fully on Aberdeen.
The Steelmen face a trip to Pittodrie this Saturday to play the Dons with next weekend’s League Cup final against Celtic looming large.
Tickets went on general sale on Monday and already Well fans have shifted more than 8000 tickets.
The Fir Park side have just over 13,000 briefs to sell for the Hampden showdown next Sunday but that game is far from Well boss Robinson’s mind.
After beating Derek McInnes’ side 3-0 in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on their way to the final, the two sides met in the Premiership three days later in a 1-0 defeat for Well.
But Robinson insists his side showed they have what it takes to destroy the Dons once again and believes the two clubs are very similar. He said: “I think there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between the two performances and we got breaks at the right time, if I’m being honest.
“The cup tie was a high-profile game and we won it but there wasn’t too much different in what we did in the two games.
“They came and changed the system so credit to them and with hindsight I probably should’ve changed some legs — I think I only made one change and I’ve learned from that.
“But there isn’t a lot between the two teams and Aberdeen are a great team which they’ve proved time and time again.
“We have similar styles, they can put more money into it than we can but they’re a good team to look at in terms of where they’ve been built from.
“But it will be a tough and close game.”
Motherwell players kept their competitive streak going during the international break with a golf day and Robinson insists the team spirit has never been better.
Two players who were in competitive action during the break were youngsters Allan Campbell and Chris Cadden as they starred for Scotland Under-21s.
The Well gaffer is thrilled the duo have the chance to represent their country but admits their lack of recovery time is a concern.
He said: “Allan was excellent from all accounts which is no surprise to me and Cadds does what he does.
“The only worrying thing for me is they don’t have the same rest as everybody else.
“They are two young boys who have continually played for us and have been a big part of what we do.
“So it’s up to me to manage that situation right. It’s brilliant playing for their country and I’ll never ever stand
in the way of that but I need to make sure that they get the same rest and recuperation as the rest of the boys do.
“I spoke to ( interm Scotland boss) Malky Mackay about our two boys and he said the attitude of them was an absolute credit to the football club.
“Their attitude, around the place and fitness levels, desire and professionalism — we’re proud of those two boys.
“You train all week and there’s nothing at the end of it, so we wanted to do something different this time.
“We have a competitive bunch of boys who get on very well.
“We took them to the Golf Lounge in Glasgow and they enjoyed themselves.
“There was a bit of bickering over the rules and who was in the sand and who wasn’t — that was just the staff!
“It just shows the camaraderie we have and we try to bridge the gap with that.
“We can’t spend the money other teams spend but what we try and do is create a group of players who will do everything for the club and they’ve done that so far this season.”