WE MUST MOVE OFF DEATH ROW
Moult vows to replicate derby heroics at the vital time for Steelmen
AMATCH-SAVING hero the last time Motherwell called at Hamilton, Louis Moult knows the worth of a similar feat today would be so much greater.
He feels ready to respond. Declaring a relish for pressure, the 17-goal striker insists all within the Fir Park squad must seize this chance to earn the lasting appreciation of their fans. The margin for error has almost gone.
Three games remain to escape a relegation Play-off. Or worse. Goal difference is all that separates Motherwell from their hosts at the Superseal Stadium. Talk of it being the biggest Lanarkshire derby in living memory is not hyperbolic.
This will be 90 minutes mired in tension. But Moult feels a personal responsibility to provide the incision that could cut Stephen Robinson’s side free. Even more so after last weekend’s result.
‘I’ll be honest, last Saturday I was on Death Row,’ said Moult, reflecting on the defeat to Ross County. ‘It was tough for me.
‘I didn’t have the best game of my career. We lost and I didn’t score, so I wasn’t a happy chappy that night.
‘You have to come back with a positive attitude but I don’t want to feel like that again.’
For all that he has previously been prolific, any goals being produced over the next eight days would instantly become his most treasured.
‘I scored in three games on the bounce before the defeat to County,’ he continued.
‘Hopefully, I could go and get another three in three to end the season. That would be nice.
‘I probably do think I am the one to score the goals and I was disappointed I couldn’t do that last weekend. I do take a bit of responsibility.
‘It’s in the back of my mind how important a time this is. I am here to score goals and, hopefully, I can do that.
‘But the same goes for everyone on the football pitch. It might be coming up with a goal-line clearance that makes someone a hero.
‘That’s how cut-throat it is at the moment. We’re going to be nervous at times on the football pitch because there is a lot at stake.
‘But the boys just have to try and filter that out. There is a fine line between knowing how big it is and letting it get to you. You can’t do that. We have to go out there with confidence and express ourselves.’
Like any worthwhile striker, Moult doesn’t lack self-belief. Facing Hamilton will not diminish that trait.
In two previous appearances against Accies this season, the 24-year-old scored five times. Four came in a home win back in September, but it was a solitary strike on Hogmanay that holds a special place in his affections.
Reduced to ten men after just 27 minutes when Lee Lucas was sent off, Motherwell trailed to an Alex D’Acol goal before Moult snatched a point at the death.
‘I would take another lastminute goal as long we win 1-0, definitely,’ he said.
‘That was probably one of my favourite moments of the season, especially as it was going into the winter break. We were down to ten men for a long time and it felt like a winner, to be honest.
Hopefully this time it can be a winner.
‘I think every time we have played Hamilton we probably should have won. We haven’t actually lost against them yet and I don’t think we are going to.
‘This is the biggest derby I’ve been involved in since coming up, definitely. Some of the boys are saying it is bigger than the Rangers Play-off game (in 2015). I wasn’t here then, so I can’t comment on that.
‘Hamilton might go in thinking they are the underdogs. I think that is the mentality they like.
‘But we have got to go there and get about them — and, hopefully, score a few goals early on.
‘It’s so tight in the table, but it has been all season. The problem for us is that we haven’t been able to put a run together.
‘Last season, we went five or six unbeaten but that’s been missing. It would be nice if we could do three unbeaten now.’
Motherwell had hoped that opening their bottom-six schedule with two home fixtures would provide a pathway to safety. Roadblocks were encountered instead.
A 3-2 reverse against Dundee was followed by a 1-0 loss against Ross County that provoked strong words within the dressing room.
‘There was loads of frustration and a lot of anger after the game last Saturday,’ admitted Moult.
‘It wasn’t good enough from us. I wasn’t good enough and I will try and put that right this weekend.
‘The players exchanged views, just to try and rally us more than anything. We know we are better than that.
‘We have shown it every now and again. In the 4-2 win over Inverness, we showed a bit there. We did it as well earlier in the season but not on a consistent enough basis.
‘We keep saying we have more possession and look like the more dangerous side going forward. But that really doesn’t matter. We need to win games. Simple as.’