We won’t allow pain to drag us down, says Hammell
RESIGNED to their status as well-beaten whipping boys on the day, Motherwell headed back along the blizzardstricken M8 knowing the value of trying to keep their eyes on the road ahead. With four wins and two draws in the six fixtures before Saturday’s trouncing, Mark McGhee’s men at least have some foundations to fall back on as they attempt to rebound. ‘It does hurt — and it’ll hurt for a bit,’ admitted veteran defender Steven Hammell. ‘But it’s important we try to bounce back and quickly forget about it. ‘I can’t remember being involved in a scoreline like that. It’s a hard one to take.’ Old heads, even if they can’t quite recall defeats of the same magnitude, have developed coping mechanisms for defeat. The youngsters in this Motherwell side, notably promising centre-half Ben Hall who ‘celebrated’ his 19th birthday on Saturday, need to lean on the wise old owls in the dressing room. ‘Our young players here have their feet on the ground,’ insisted Hammell. ‘Ben wasn’t coming in thinking: “I’m a superstar, I’ve made it.” He’s kept himself grounded. ‘I think he’ll react well. It’s not ideal losing games like that but it’s a massive learning curve. ‘He has good staff round him, some good experienced pros. I thought he stood up well, even though we were up against it. ‘What we prepared for didn’t go to plan at all. And when Hearts get two or three goals, they’ve got players who can enjoy the game and hurt you.’ With Dundee United looking all but relegated, at least four teams will be continually glancing towards that secondbottom spot and the play-off awaiting the side finishing there at season’s end. Despite being only a point clear, Hammell believes Motherwell are good enough to avoid that fate. ‘We have the quality — but we need to go out and prove it,’ he said. ‘After losing 6-0, it’s hard to say that, but I believe we’ve got enough in there. ‘I don’t know if the gaffer’s maybe going to bring one or two in as well.’