There’s guaranteed to be one Accies supporter hoping for a resounding Motherwell win this weekend – Steelmen manager Craig Brown.
The gaffers’ Hamilton persuasion is just an extra facet to what is bound to be a fascinating Lanarkshire derby for as high-flying ‘Well face relegation-threatened Hamilton in a match which is special for fans, players and staff alike.
“I’m looking forward to this weekend’s Lanarkshire derby; it’s especially good when you are an Accies fan managing the opposition!” Brown laughed.
“Seriously, a Lanarkshire derby is always going to be a major test from the club and something we thrive on. We weren’t at our best in midweek and we will be looking for an improvement, otherwise we will be punished
“The Lanarakshire derby is very important for the area. The Motherwell fans feel that way, and the Accies’ fans feel that way – so you can be sure of a competitive match.”
With the South Lanarkshire side struggling at the wrong end of the table, and coming to Fir Park on the back of a home defeat to St. Johnstone, some may have Motherwell asfavourites – especially after banishing the memories of poor early season home form with two wins at Fir Park on the trot.
However, the former Scotland boss doesn’t agree and insists it could be one of the toughest games of the season so far.
The experienced boss said: “We don’t always like to be favourites at Motherwell. We’re certainly not getting excited by our current position.
“The table at the end of the year will tell us how good or otherwise we have been over the course of a whole season.”
Accies boss Billy Reid praised the resilience of Craig Brown’s troops this week, following The Steelmen scraping past Dundee United in the cup, describing being able to beat teams when not playing well as the mark of a good team.
Whilst accepting of the compliment, Reid’s opposite number was keen to point out that Motherwell have not made a habit of ‘not playing well’ this season.
“I love wee Billy,” the ‘Well gaffer smiled. “In some respects he is right; we didn’t play well on Tuesday night – although I’d say the game was even.
“However we have played very well for much of this season, and sometimes we haven’t actually got the rewards; we battered Hibs at Fir Park and lost, for example.
“Every team will win games that they perhaps did not deserve to, but I think you’ll find we have not won a match that we have not deserved this season – certainly in terms of chances and possession. We even lost 4-1 at Ibrox when the statistics said we had more of the ball!”
The ‘Well gaffer was speaking to the press from his old stomping ground of Hampden, as he attended the draw for the Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final, where The Steelmen were paired with Rangers in the last four.
Brown admits to a level of excitement ahead of squaring up to the Glasgow giants at the beginning of February, but he is typically pragmatic when insisting on absolute focus ahead of the weekend.
“It’s something we can look forward to.” The Steelmen boss admitted. “But our focus is absolutely on the SPL.”
“We have dealt with the distraction of the Europa League earlier in the season, and now we must forget about the Rangers match. These occasions are fantastic for the fans but the league is our bread and butter, and the most important thing for us is bettering our fifth place from last season.”
Two players who will be absolutely key if ‘Well are to finish above fifth in the SPL are Jamie Murphy and Keith Lasley, both of whom are doubts for this weekends’ match.
However, their gaffer remains hopeful both players could make the tie.
“We’ve got our physio working around the clock,” Brown confirmed. “Keith and Jamie are both influential players and both are last-minute decisions ahead of Saturday.”
