Facing Rangers, Hibs or Falkirk in the play-offs? Those ties will be scary
SAYS MARK McGHEE
THERE wa s no glittering trophy at the end of it. For many Motherwell fans old enough to remember, though, their side’s 6-1 aggregate thumping of Rangers in last year’s play-off final surpassed the 1991 Scottish Cup Final in terms of its significance.
Nine months on from those two remarkable matches, fears among the Fir Park fanbase that another act of escapology may be required to retain the club’s top- flight status come the end of this season are all too real.
For Mark McGhee, however, the prospect of Motherwell — or any other Premiership side — pitting their wits against a Championship outfit over 180 minutes does not bear thinking about.
Whilst not completely dismissing the possibility of Dundee United yet clawing back a 13-point deficit, the man who succeeded Ian Baraclough in the post believes the marked improvements made by each one of the Championship challengers over the past year would put whichever side finishes in 11th in grave danger.
‘I think Dundee United can still bit by bit claw themselves back into it,’ McGhee said. ‘If they can get themselves to within four or five points of second-bottom by the split, then who knows?
‘Certainly, that second-bottom spot is now the one. I’ve not discussed it with anyone but I’m sure we are all feeling that when you see the Hibs and Rangers results the other night, the prospect of playing them or even Falkirk in the play- off is different from the team Motherwell faced last year.
‘It’s a much, much tougher ask if you end up in a play- off against one of those two. They will be scary games for whoever gets them and we don’t want to be part of that. I want to have my feet up before going away with the Scotland squad as opposed to playing those games. I don’t want to be involved.’
A comprehensive win at Tannadice on Tuesday night did much to ease those nagging fears. Yet, despite rising to eighth place as a result of that 3- 0 win, Motherwell remain just two points above danger.
In a league table fast resembling a game of snakes and ladders, however, the flip side for McGhee’s men is that they are also now just four points shy of fourth-placed Ross County.
In years gone by, finishing in the top six was seen as a possible backdoor to Europe.
This term, it will primarily be a means of cementing a place in next year’s top division.
‘ I’d take that now,’ McGhee smiled. ‘ Archie Knox texted me after the game on Tuesday and said: “Only four points off fourth.” Crazy.
‘We can’t be bothered by that. We will look at it at the end of the season. At the moment, as I’ve said all along, we keep looking below us.
‘It is as tight as I’ve seen it over so many places, which reflects we are all are the same really.
‘Hearts, Aberdeen and Celtic seem to have found that bit more consistency and the rest of us are much of a muchness. We all draw our players from the same places, whether it’s a mixture of the lower leagues in England or the best of the lower leagues in Scotland that we can find. Of course, we have our own academies.
‘We all have similar budgets so it’s not going to be that different. The one that can find a wee nugget here or there can keep their team’s head above water.
‘We have one or two that can get us a goal, we should score more goals. We have Marvin Johnson who had one fantastic right-foot shot the other night but Marvin is someone we think should be getting more goals.
‘We have to have find more in boys like that who are such good players but maybe not quite producing the end product they are capable of.’
In Scott McDonald, McGhee knows he has someone to rely on. The little Australian hit the net twice at Tannadice to all but sink United and there is every chance that a continuation of that vintage form will see Motherwell breathe a little easier before the final placings are known.
‘He is scoring goals and playing well,’ McGhee added. ‘ Last Saturday (a 2-0 loss to Kilmarnock), regardless of the result, I thought there were two or three who came out with some sort of respect and he was one of them.
‘He battled his corner, kept the ball and he got frustrated. He gets frustrated. We all know Scott, he has plenty to say and of course he makes his voice heard, but, at the end of the day, he is playing well and the other ni ght hi s contribution was significant.’
Like all the sides around them, consistency is the thing Motherwell crave most.
Capable of winning at Celtic Park this season yet equally as liable to lose at home to a fellow struggler, a win at McDiarmid Park tomorrow would suggest the magic formula had at last been bottled.
‘I don’t think the clouds have passed, maybe it’s stopped raining at the moment,’ added McGhee.
‘It still feels serious to me. It was a desperately needed result to get the points and give us hope that we can now go on another run and win games.
‘That was very, very important for morale, spirit and confidence.’