What Motherwell must do amid winning run after negative noises as possible injury comebacks match named

Stuart Kettlewell believes a mantra of standing together through the good and the bad will see Motherwell will right this season - as a possible injury comeback game is plotted.

The boss has guided his side to three straight wins heading into the international break, with a 2-1 win at St Johnstone in the Premiership following on from 1-0 and 3-1 successes over Kilmarnock plus Hearts. It was a turbulent summer at Fir Park, with a mixed Premier Sports Cup group stage campaign playing out in the backdrop of a failed Wild Sheep Sport investment proposal.

A major squad overhaul has been performed too and they started the league season with a point at home to Ross County and then defeat to Rangers. Kettlewell reckons the mood music wasn’t so positive around Motherwell just a few weeks ago.

Now they are landing plaudits, he believes there’s strength to be found in standing tall amid the highs and lows a season will bring. He said post-match after the game vs St Johnstone: “I keep going back and alluding to the injuries but the messaging surrounding our football club probably about three weeks ago I felt was quite negative at times.

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“I think when the players go and deliver, we've get the three results we've had, it builds confidence in them. The messaging surrounding us becomes a bit more positive but it's important we know there are going to be low moments across the season. We are going to need to be able to stand and stick together and make sure we come out the other side as we had that last season through a poor run.

“We want to do is try and ride the crest of a wave which is that we are in the next round of the cup and off the back of six points in our last two games. We will work hard this week to make sure we are getting better as a group as there is a lot of integration for new players into how I want to work. I think this time next week will help us in that.”

Motherwell return to action on September 14th away to Aberdeen, before a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final clash with Dundee United on September 20th. That is a game that could see the return of some from injury, with Filip Stuparevic, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Ross Callachan and Shane Blaney amongst those out currently. Callum Slattery, Harry Paton, Johnny Koutroumbis and Sam Nicholson are long-term absentees.

Kettlewell added: "I don't think we will have anybody back after the international break. The best case scenario for anybody to come back into our team is probably about three weeks from now.

“We will keep chipping away at it, we are well on top of it and the medical guys have been great in that process. It might be a push for the Dundee United cup game but not beforehand."