Robbo’s aces are hot stuff

Stephen Robinson praised Motherwell’s players for turning up the heat then sending their frozen fans home happy.

The Steelmen moved five points clear of Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton and closer to mid-table respectability with their first win in Perth since November 2012.

Early goals by Tom Aldred and Danny Johnson were enough to hand Saints their first defeat in nine games.

Robinson admitted the only criticism he could level at his side was their failure to win by more as he hailed Mark Gillespie for a vital penalty stop.

He said: “It should have been more comfortable but the players showed tremendous character and dug in and battled in really difficult conditions.

“Our fans will go down the road happy because the boys really played for the shirt today.

“It was an extremely tough game as we thought it would be, a scrappy match and we picked a team accordingly.

“The weather conditions didn’t help but we deserve a great amount of credit after starting the game on fire.

“We’re a young squad but the boys managed the game well and when we went two up it gave us the cushion to hit them on the counter-attack.”

Keeper Gillespie has found chances limited since signing a two-year deal in the summer but Trevor Carson’s deep vein thrombosis has given him a shot between the sticks.

Robinson said: “It was hard to keep him happy a nd unfor t u n a t e circumstances have given him his chance. Mark is a No.1 and has been terrific.”