A win always lifts the spirits and Tuesday's triumph over St Johnstone was no exception. It provided a confidence boost to the remodelled team and increased our safety margin in the league table.
The Perth Saints have proved to be a frustrating obstacle in recent years but after a fairly flat first half we took control of the game in the second. It is no exaggeration to claim that we made enough chances to win the game by a bigger margin. The reaction Curtis Main had when he converted the last of his many opportunities almost hinted of embarrassment.
We have to acknowledge that St Johnstone failed to turn up after the break. As Tommy Wright pointed out , "It is nearly beyond belief how they can go from what they did in the first half to what they did in the second." Nevertheless, Motherwell exploited their weakness and gave the home crowd plenty to cheer with the third home win of 2018.
Although we now hold sixth place, ahead of both Kilmarnock and St Johnstone, the chasers have games in hand. Any gains they make are, with any luck, likely to come at the expense of teams in the bottom four.
There were no apparent injuries sustained and the manager can build his plan for Saturday's cup tie knowing that he has plenty of options. Hendrie, Bigirimana, Tanner, Griffiths, Frear, Petravicius and Grimshaw offered a substitutes' bench of some depth and with Hartley close to return there will be competition for places.
After the Dundee game there will be the first fixture free midweek since the break. The players will have earned a day or two with their feet up.