Our mini dip is nothing compared to the awful run of results suffered by Peter Houston's charges. Since they beat Dundee in the second round of SPL matches they have collected only two points from five attempts and scored a solitary goal. Support for the manager might fall fast if they fail to take anything from the game and we can be assured that the players will be determined to stop the rot.
They appear not to have recovered from the close season losses of Robertson, Pernis and Dixon but there are enough decent players left in their squad to suggest that their eleventh place in the table will be only a temporary blip. John Daly, talking to the press this week said that it was up to the players to help the manager out.
While the Motherwell camp had every reason to be subdued at the start of this week, thoughts of the lesson handed out by Celtic should now be a distant memory. The only lingering effect will be the loss of Cummins following his sending off. Ramsden seems like the natural replacement in the back line.
Kerr got a confidence booster in midweek when he was included in the Scotland U21 squad and we hope that Hammell has had time to recover from his ankle knock. That apart, manager McCall will adjust the attacking end of the team to exploit perceived weakness in the opposition. A selection from Humprey, Daley, Ojamaa and Muphy will keep Higdon company and hope to supply the big striker with the chance to extend his lead at the top of the SPL scorers list.
A win will restore us a as leaders, if only for a day, and there's every reason to anticipate a 2-1 triumph.
Remember the last visit from United?