PARKHEAD EXPERT HAMMELL IS CHASING A HAT-TRICK OF MOTHERWELL TRIUMPHS
IF one man can lay claim to being the foremost authority on what it takes for Motherwell to win at Celtic Park, it’s Steven Hammell. The Fir Park side’s only two victories at Parkhead this century have been achieved with the veteran defender on the left side of defence. Having recently taken over as manager, the 40-year-old joked yesterday that he was contemplating dusting off his boots ahead of today’s daunting trip to the east end of Glasgow. In his attempts to chalk up a third win at the home of the Scottish champions since 1999, Hammell has ultimately settled on doing his homework on a side still smarting from their shock 2-0 loss at St Mirren before the international break.
He has viewed clips of every Celtic match over the past two years — and studied the statistics to ensure his side are fully prepared for the onslaught they expect to face from Ange Postecoglou’s men. ‘I played in the two games Motherwell have won there since 2000, so I might need to start myself at left-back,’ said a grinning Hammell (pictured). ‘In fact, I don’t know if I could last long at left-back... I might play in the middle of defence instead! ‘But, no, seriously, going to places like Celtic Park, you need your players to be brave, to play well, and all to be at their maximum. ‘Individually and collectively, you need to be strong. Myself and the coaches will need to get the tactics spot on as well. You need to rely on everything going your way. ‘I’ve watched Celtic as much as I can. I’ve watched some part of every game they’ve played over the last two years. You’ve got to see something from the videos — and the fact I’ve gone back so far maybe highlights that. ‘We’ve done all we can to make sure we’re as ready as we can be. When you look at the ball-in-play stats, it’s
almost 100 per cent at Celtic Park. They get the ball back in quickly, so it will be a different game to what it would be at Fir Park. ‘We’ve won some good games this season already and this is going to be a higher challenge again. ‘But you’ve got to believe. Never as a Motherwell player did I go into a game expecting to lose. We have a group who are similar to that.’ Hammell’s first taste of victory at Celtic Park came when Simon Lappin scored the only goal in a Premiership encounter in April 2008. Seven years later, in December 2015, Louis Moult was the hero when he notched a double in a shock 2-1 league win. Moult is now back for a second spell at Fir Park and is closer to match fitness after making his second debut off the bench in the 3-0 home loss to Hearts that saw Motherwell squander numerous chances. Hammell’s side need to be more ruthless with any chance that comes their way today. ‘Louis is closer from where he was before the break,’ said the manager. ‘I’m not one to go over everything we are doing in terms of our possession, our shots, attempts at goal and chances created is good. It’s just about converting those chances. ‘The conversion rate hasn’t been what we would have wanted. We won’t get that number of chances today and, if we do get a chance, it’s so important we are clinical.’ On the left side of the Motherwell defence today will be Matt Penney.
In February 2020, he silenced Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 derby win for St Pauli in a Bundesliga 2 match while on loan from Sheffield Wednesday. The 24-year-old Englishman is hoping for a similar surprise outcome at a packed Celtic Park as Motherwell look to end a run of 24 winless matches against the Hoops. ‘We went to Hamburg that day as underdogs and we won so hopefully that happens again,’ said Penney. ‘There were about 57,000 fans there that day, so I’ve played in that kind of atmosphere before. ‘You can’t worry about the stadium or about the team you’re playing. ‘We just have to play our own game and hopefully get a result.’