Brill ready to do battle for number one spot

Dean Brill is ready for the challenge of pushing Craig Samson for the Motherwell goalkeeper's jersey.

Samson has waited patiently for his chance since joining Motherwell in September last year, playing understudy to on-loan Middlesbrough goalkeeper Connor Ripley apart from two appearances towards the end of last season.

The Scotland squad goalkeeper is expected to get his chance this season but Mark McGhee brought in experienced competition in Brill, who arrived from Inverness.

On the battle for the gloves, the 30-year-old said: "It's a good one. We are both experienced enough. We have both been in the game and possibly in this situation before. I certainly have.

"And it's one I'm looking forward to and relishing. He is a good guy as well as a good goalkeeper but I want to be playing and, come the start of the season, that's where I hope to be.

"I'm a footballer, I want to play football, but at the same time I'm not scared of a challenge. Goalkeeping is different to most positions: it's one or the other, you can't play both at once.

"As long as I get a good crack of the whip, and Craig will probably say the same, I'm happy and I back myself to fight for that jersey.''

Brill has only made one appearance in 18 months, when he aggravated a knee injury against Celtic in April 2015.

The injury saw him lose his first-team place to Owain Fon Williams, meaning there was no contract extension on the table in the summer.

"It was a different injury, it's not common and it was a big operation,'' the former Luton player said.

"But I was lucky enough to have the best surgeon in the UK, which I'm grateful to Inverness for. I will always be grateful to them for looking after me.

"But I have been in full training since the end of March and played five or six games for the Inverness (under) 20s so I feel I have fully come through it.''