Pivotal week begins for men of Steel

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson has told his players they can still ensure they have a decent start to the season.

The Lanarkshire side have taken only five points from their first nine Premiership games and face a pivotal week with matches against the two teams below them in the table.

Motherwell travel to Paisley to face St Mirren tonight before hosting Dundee on Saturday.

“It’s huge,” Robinson said. “I look at St Johnstone and they had a run of results against top teams and were down in amongst the mix with the bottom four of us. They have won a couple of games and pulled away from it.

“So we are the same. What is not a good start at this moment in time could turn into a decent start to the season - a quarter-final and potentially sitting eighth in the league after these two games.

“But we have to go and do that – turn performances and chances into results.”

Striker Curtis Main claims there is “not a lot of difference” in their general play compared with last season, when Motherwell finished seventh and reached two cup finals.

“Certain games this season we would have won last year,” Main added. “There’s been a few games we have dominated and then all of a sudden we end up losing a goal last minute or a couple of times someone puts one in the top corner against us. In terms of performances they have been similar. If anything I think we have played better in some areas.”

St Mirren defender Anton Ferdinand is set to feature after training for the last two days having missed Saturday’s defeat by St Johnstone with a groin strain.