Clay confident Motherwell can make a push up the Premiership table
Motherwell midfielder Craig Clay is confident they have the squad to embark on a run and push up the table.
Motherwell midfielder Craig Clay is confident they have the squad to embark on a run and push up the table.
Mark McGhee's side have lost five of their six matches in 2017, although all of their defeats came against the top-four teams in the Premiership.
Stephen McManus has been ruled out for six weeks with a groin injury ahead of Saturday's visit of Dundee, while another experienced defender, Steven Hammell, is a major doubt with a hip injury.
But Clay is confident they can move out of the bottom three after giving a good account of ourselves'' in last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park, which settled the squad down following their seven-goal thrashing by Aberdeen.
The 24-year-old said: It's gone now, we know we have some big games coming up and it's about looking forward.
You go against Celtic and Aberdeen and everyone writes you off before you even take to the pitch.
These are the games we feel we are capable of winning and we have done our preparation and we're ready for it.
We know we need to put a run together and we know we are capable of it, we have the squad to do it.
It's eight games left to the split so we know it's a big period.
We have probably dropped a few silly points over the course of the season but we are confident going to the game against Dundee and we know we can pick up points against the teams around us.''
While McGhee has few options at the back, although right-back Richard Tait returns from suspension, he is spoiled for choice in midfield with Clay joined by Stephen Pearson, Keith Lasley, Lee Lucas, Carl McHugh and Allan Campbell in pushing for a place in the centre of the park.
There is a lot of competition now and it's healthy,'' Clay said.I had not played for the three games before Saturday so I knew I had to knuckle down and on Saturday I had a point to prove to the gaffer.
It's all good and healthy. If you have got that shirt, it gives you that determination to keep the shirt because you know there are two other players waiting to take your spot.''